Where Nightmares and Darkness Meet
by Takada Saiko
Summary: One month after Rumple and Belle are married nightmares begin to plague Storybrooke. Henry sees it as an opportunity to grow closer to his grandfather while they search for answers, but they may find that even nightmares can have dangerous outcomes when mixed with powerful blood magic, especially when they find their enemy is using the blood of someone they thought they'd lost. AU.
1. Chapter One

**Where Nightmares and Darkness Meet**

Notes:

One month after Rumplestiltskin and Belle are married nightmares begin to plague Storybrooke, each more terrifying than the one before. While Henry sees it as an opportunity to grow closer to his grandfather while they search for answers, they may find that even nightmares can have dangerous outcomes when mixed with powerful magic. AU. Departure in Snow Drifts. Rumbelle. Mention of SwanFire. OutlawQueen and Snowing in the background.

I feel I should place some sort of warning that there may be a bit of violence in this one... I'm not sure how much the warning is needed, as there's always violence in my stories, but you have now been warned :)

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><p><strong>Chapter One <strong>

He was running. The streets were mostly clear, but he knew it wouldn't be long until they found him. That's what happened when a person was trapped by lines that marked the town's limits - the curse's limits - and kept that person in. It headed off any real hopes for escape. He hated running, but he hated the thought of dying more.

One wrong step and his right ankle buckled. It held his weight better now than it had in many years - Neverland might be a terrible place, but belief made anything solid, even shattered bones - though every once and a while it liked to remind him just where he'd come from. Just where he belonged.

He stumbled, catching himself with one hand against the pavement and was up again. The pause took too long, though, and a sharp cry left him as an arrow buried itself in his back, just between his shoulder blade and spine. The momentum sent him stumbling forward again and he hit the ground harder this time, rolling. Pain raced through him, starting at the entry wound and reaching around his back and down his arm. He pulled in shaking, pained breaths. He'd been shot with arrows before, but his curse had always taken care of it for him. He supposed he should have realized that it would hurt more without full access to it.

Focus. He had to focus. He was sprawled out on the main street now, breaths coming in gasps and he pulled his left arm under him to do what he could to get upright. The shaft had had broken and splintered when he'd rolled, but the head of the arrow was still buried deep in his back, every movement shifting it just a little and bringing with it a new level of pain.

"Not so fast," a voice said from behind and he turned, seeing one of his pursuers stalking closer, sword in hand and ready to strike.

It was only a matter of time, he reminded himself. Without killing them all, he really had no hope of escape. He was limited by the curse he'd written and bound by its restrictions to the town. He'd been running for so long now that it was almost a relief to stop. He wondered if they might even succeed in killing him. At least then he could have a glimmer of hope that he could see Bae again. It was something, and he had to cling to something to keep from drowning in the madness of the situation as the others had.

He raised a shaking hand, half propped up on the pavement and trying not to put pressure on the wound that still had one of Snow White's arrows sunk deeply into it. "David," he said slowly, trying to calm him. "I didn't do it."

"Liar!" the shepherd prince growled and he found the sharp tip of the younger man's blade pressed against his chest. His blue eyes were glassy with tears and the pinned man knew his agony. He was just certain that he hadn't been the cause of it.

"Please just listen."

"I think we've heard enough," Snow White - Mary Margaret in this place - said as she strode forward, another arrow already fitted into her bow and ready to take aim at him. What was her plan? Pin him down with a dozen arrows and see if his curse finally gave and let him die? He wasn't entirely sure how far it would take him, nor was he eager to find out.

Survival instincts flared and though he'd promised himself and the only people in his life that still mattered that he wouldn't kill these two - even in self defence - it didn't stop the burst of magic that swept them both off their feet. He stumbled to his own and the instant, flaring pain nearly took him right back down to the ground. He had to run. He couldn't stop. If he stopped they really would do their damndest to kill him.

He hadn't counted on David being so fast, or perhaps he hadn't counted on his own reflexes being so slow, but the blond prince was up again in an instant, sword clutched in one hand and vengeance shining in his eyes. It was strange, but for all their talk of what was good and right, when it came down to it they were just as susceptible to it as he was. He'd killed Zelena because she had murdered his boy, and now-

A hand grabbed the expensive fabric of his shirt and spun him around. Another denial danced in the back of his throat, ready to spring forward, but only a terrible gasp left him as Charming's blade tore through him and his legs gave way. The prince held onto him and dark eyes met tearful blue ones that held all the anger that a father could hold in them. "You killed her."

"I didn't," his injured captive managed, held upright by the blond that still had a grip on his shirt and the sword that was pressing against his ribs as he tried to collapse to the ground. His lungs weren't working properly and every inch of him now hurt, though he was growing number and number with each ragged, hitched breath. He tried to focus, to get his feet under him so that at least it would be the hand clutching at him that kept him up and not the sword still inside of him. "David, I didn't kill Emma."

"What's the point of lying now? We saw you. We saw everything. It's over, Gold. You're never going to hurt anyone in this town _ever_ again."

The prince twisted the sword and a pained, raw scream left his throat.

* * *

><p>She wasn't sure what woke her, but Belle came to wakefulness with a start. She found herself staring at a familiar ceiling and blinked a time or two before remembering that there was a clock next to the bed. Four-thirty in the morning. The blue shining numbers pierced the otherwise dark room and she tried to cut through the fogginess of sleep to find out what might have woken her from an otherwise peaceful night.<p>

The bed jolted as the man that had been tossing and turning next to her sat straight up, brown eyes wide with sudden wakefulness. Rumplestiltskin sat there for a moment, gulping in deep breaths like a man that had been denied oxygen. That was the only movement he made though as he sat in his place, muscles taut and fingers gripping the bedsheets like he was hanging on for dear life. He still hadn't looked away from where his dark eyes had fixated on the far side of the room, likely at nothing in particular. Belle reached out to him, careful not to startle him any more than whatever nightmare he'd been battling had. "Hey," she whispered, touching his shoulder and fining him trembling now. They'd been married nearly a month and this was not the first time he'd woken in such a way. He wouldn't talk about it at length yet, and she often had to remind herself to be patient. He'd lost his son to the woman that had held him prisoner for nearly a year. There was no telling what that vile woman had done, and pushing him too hard would only make her love retreat deeper. Rumplestiltskin had never been the sharing type, but this emotional pain was taking its toll on him and she could see it wearing heavier and heavier every day.

She'd been patient long enough. She promised herself she'd give when he needed her to, but not before.

"Rumple," she murmured, gaining his attention with her quiet voice. She leaned forward and pressed a kiss to his shoulder, her lips lingering against the silk material of his sleeping shirt. Despite the frigid temperatures outside that had crept its way through the old house's many loose boards and windows the shirt was drenched in sweat. Whatever or whomever he'd been fighting had left him with no rest to be had. "Was it like the others?"

He shook his head. The most she'd gotten from him on the previous nights they'd woken in this way was that the dream had been about Bae or about Zelena, but nothing past that. He'd brushed it off, either rising for the day or allowing himself to sink into her arms and try to find sleep if it was still early enough in the night to do so. When he pulled away was the hardest for her to accept, because those were the moments when she felt helpless. True Love might have been the most powerful magic of all, but it couldn't heal the man she loved, no matter how hard she tried to be there for him, to love him just a little more. It couldn't erase the pain he was in.

"Will you tell me about it?" she prompted and received another jerky shake as he pulled away.

"No," he whispered distantly. "It's just a nightmare. Not a vision. It doesn't make any sense for it to… It's just a nightmare."

Belle's brows knit as she reached for him, fingers catching his hand as he threw off the covers. She'd always thought that his nightmares were of the past. It must have been terrible not to know for sure if a dream could become your reality, especially when the dream was a nightmare that plagued you over the most recent bout of terrible pain. "She's gone, Rumple. She can't hurt you anymore."

"It wasn't Zelena," he said roughly as he stood. "It was me."

She didn't have a chance to ask what he meant by that as he moved stiffly around the bed and to the bathroom door next to her side. He didn't want to talk about it, so she told herself to be patient. The others might not see it - he'd never let them see it - but his time in captivity had done him more harm than would ever show on the surface. Even she didn't think she understood it to the full extent, but at least he knew he didn't have to face it alone.

Rumple pushed the door closed and Belle heard the sound of the shower clicking on. The old pipes moaned and groaned as hot water rushed through them. There was no point in going back to bed now, she thought as she pushed back the covers too. He would have been getting up for the day in half an hour anyway. With some luck, she might be able to convince him to join her at Granny's instead of eating at the house. A fresh layer of snow would be on the ground outside and it wasn't like anyone would be by the shop that early anyway. It would do him some good to get out and get his mind off of it.

A soft buzzing sound caught her attention and Rumple's cell phone was lit up on his nightstand. Belle reached across the bed and her fingers touched the vibrating phone, pulling it closer and finally into her hands. It was four-thirty in the morning. Who in the worlds was calling him?

Emma's name flashed across the screen and Belle's brows drew together as she flipped the phone open to answer.

* * *

><p>The water was hot enough to leave his skin red and make his head spin. He needed that though. Rumplestiltskin needed something that should be able to wash away the last dregs of sleep and bring him back around to reality. He'd had more than his share of dreams and nightmares since Bae had died. He'd slept as little as his very human body would allow while he'd been confined to Zelena's cage. Again and again he relived his son's death, not to mention Cora's eldest's assertion of her power. She'd made sure he knew who was in charge, and he had the scars to prove it. He covered them, just as he covered the weight he'd lost during his captivity, with an easy glamour spell. Even Belle hadn't seen them all. At least there were no new ones to add to the old.<p>

Rumplestiltskin leaned heavily against the tiles, the water soaking him. The dream he'd woken to that morning was a new one that had, as far as he could tell, nothing to do with either Bae or Zelena as all the others seemed to be. He had been the villain, even if he had been certain of his own innocence. He had no reason he could think of that he would want to harm Emma Swan. She was the woman his son had loved and his grandson's mother. She irked him often - with her lineage, there really was no hope otherwise - but as far as he was concerned she was family, and family meant everything. It was a nightmare, not a vision. Anyway, he'd been trapped within the town lines. He couldn't be certain, but he thought it was likely that her death might end that issue even now.

It was a nightmare, not a vision. He was certain of that the more he woke up.

He wasn't sure how much time had passed when he finally switched the water off, his lungs feeling like they were filled with the same steam that filled the bathroom. Rumplestiltskin swayed as he stepped out, towelled himself off, and opened the door.

While he'd expected Belle to be up - sadly in the short time that they'd been together after his return this late night/ early morning bit was beginning to turn into a ritual - he hadn't expected her to be dressed. Her hair was pulled back and she was dressed casually, but she was pulling on her boots as he ran a towel across his hair. "Sweetheart, if you were wanting to go out for breakfast, I'm afraid Granny's won't be open for another hour yet."

"We're not going to Granny's," his love responded as she tightened the laces to the knee high boots she'd chosen. "Emma called while you were in the shower."

The savior's name sent chills down his spine as he thought of David's grief-ridden accusations. "What could she have wanted this early?"

"Someone broke into the shop last night."

That caused the owner of the shop in question to frown deeply and his magic swirled around him, replacing the sleeping pants that he'd slipped back into and shirt with his more usual suit and tie. It was in perfect condition without a wrinkle to it and his wife rolled her eyes at the display but didn't say anything. She'd become much more comfortable with his casual magic use than when he'd first brought magic back. Somewhere along the way Belle seemed to realize that a bit of magic wasn't going to send him spiralling into state of pure evil and that it could often be useful. In moments like this it was not only useful, but quicker.

"Did she say anything else?"

"Not really. She didn't sound happy at having been woken up to a late-night robbery."

"Early morning, rather," her husband answered and he held a hand out to her.

Belle took it, her smile tired as the walked hand-in-hand down the stairs and to the car. The roads were icy and slick, so the drive was slow going, but he much prefered to drive over there rather than walk in this weather. The snow was still falling, though not nearly as heavily as it must have during the night, and at least it provided a layer of protection to the ice.

Emma Swan was waiting inside the shop, the front door partially off its hinges. She looked almost bored as they entered, and her first reaction was to glare a bit at the shop owner as if it had been _his_ fault that someone had decided to put their thieving ambitions into play in the wee hours of the morning. "People do like to rob you, don't they?"

"It would seem so," Rumplestiltskin answered, dusting the snow off his jacket as they entered. He offered to take Belle's coat as she shrugged it from her shoulders, the wedged heels of her boots tapping against the wooden floor softly as she moved to see what damage had been done.

"Looks like they jarred the door open and went looking for something. Stupid question, I know, but anyone in particular that might hold a grudge?"

Dark eyes peered at Storybrooke's savior and he moved slowly through the showroom. Drawers had been pulled out, papers were scattered, and books had been taken from the shelf and tossed about. The glass on the main display cases weren't broken, but one small case that held a set of knives had been shattered, one of the knives tossed to the side as if it had offended the thief. Paintings had been pulled from the walls and even displays along the main part of the room had been shifted and moved. Someone was looking for something in particular. "At some point perhaps, but nothing as of late, I don't believe," Rumplestiltskin answered as he bent to take hold of a stray object. His fingers touched an old leather ball and he could feel his chest begin to tighten as memories flooded to the forefront of his mind.

"Well, someone was aiming for you. No one else got hit. No one's come in looking for something? Maybe an object that was put down with the latest curse that you wouldn't give back?"

"I'm not a thief, Miss Swan. In case you didn't notice I'm the one that's been robbed,"

Emma snorted. "Anything missing, Belle?" she asked and Rumplestiltskin bit his tongue before the another barb rolled off of it. Belle had taken care of his shop while he'd been held by Zelena and he had only recently opened up for business again after their honeymoon. In that time she'd done her own cataloging, her own arranging. He hadn't noticed in his very first moments back after he'd been sent away by Regina - who had still held the dagger at the time - after they'd had a few harsh words between them about the fact she'd used it to control him. He'd been so overwhelmed by everything that all he'd wanted was to find comfort in Belle. The shop had waited and as it stood, he'd hardly gotten things back into the order he preferred.

"It looks like whoever broke in was looking for something specific." Belle shot her husband a meaningful look as she set the case of knives back upright, careful of the broken glass.

"Or they were children acting on a bet," he answered with a shrug. He knew as soon as he met her eyes that Belle wasn't buying it for a minute, but Emma snorted a laugh.

"I could see it. Let me know if you guys find anything missing." She turned what she seemed to think was an intimidating glare on the Dark One. "And if you happen to think of anyone it might be, come to me with it. Don't handle it yourself."

Rumplestiltskin flashed her his most innocent smile. "Whatever so you mean?"

Emma rolled her eyes. "You know exactly what I mean," she groused. "Belle?"

"We'll give you a call if we find something for you," Belle promised.

Dark brown eyes watched her carefully as she turned, pulling her jacket a little closer as she marched her way out to the bug she'd driven over in rather than the police car. Rumplestiltskin waited until he heard the car door close before he righted the door to to his shop with a flicker of his hand and swept another spell out to search every nook and cranny for things that Emma would have never found. He knew she'd been looking before they got there and she had whatever evidence she thought she needed, but now it was his turn.

"Is there a reason you don't trust Emma?" Belle asked softly.

"What makes you think I don't trust her?"

His wife smiled and he saw her step closer out of the corner of his eye. "Because you haven't trusted anyone with anything since you've come home."

He stopped. The spell could search without him and he turned toward the love of his life. "I trust you."

"Do you?"

His breath caught in his throat and he wondered for a moment if she knew about the switched dagger and the secret he kept. No, he decided after a minute, that was a big enough lie that if she knew - when she found out, a small, terrible little voice prodded at him - there'd be no stopping that avalanche of a conversation. "I love you," he said softly, the words more true and honest than most he spoke these days.

"I know," Belle answered with that knowing smile of hers and she took his hands in hers. "Just promise me that when you're ready, you'll tell me."

"Tell you what?"

"I don't know. All I know is that there's more to what happened than you've told me, and Rumple, I know it hurts and I know that it frightens you, but that's _not_ weakness. That's being human."

He stared, unable to process the words completely for a moment. This woman that stood before him was more than he could ever possibly deserve. Every time he teetered on the edge, about to fall over, she caught hold of him and pulled him a step or two away. His fears and his own whispering curse might never let him be pulled entirely back, but she kept him from drowning in it. She gave him strength.

Rumplestiltskin's thin lips quirked at the sides and he pressed a kiss to her forehead affectionately. "What about breakfast at Granny's once we finish taking a look?"

Belle gave him a knowing look. "You never want to go to Granny's anymore."

"But you do."

The smile was a just barely restrained grin trying to break free as his love tipped up on her toes and pressed a kiss to his lips. "I think that would be perfect. Now, why do you really think someone broke in?" She smiled at the attempt at an innocent look. "I know you, Rumplestiltskin, and you don't think it was a dare. You never did."

The Dark One moved to the countertop as his spell finished, bouncing back to him like a rubber ball set loose. It popped once off the floor and into his hands and he held it up for inspection so that his clever wife could see it as well. The images swirled together tightly and eased themselves out one by one into something useful. "No," he answered softly as she joined him to look, "I should say not."

* * *

><p>Things had been unnervingly quiet since Zelena's death, and that alone made the town's sheriff a little nervous. They'd stayed because Henry wanted it, and in the end, if she wanted to admit it or not, this was home. Emma had searched for her family her whole life and as much as she wanted to keep her son safe, he'd never be happy away from them now that he remembered his grandparents and his adopted mother. His father was buried there and those that he'd come to love growing up were all in Storybrooke. Henry wanted it, and in the end, Henry had won out.<p>

The fact that it had been so very quiet after the strange and questionable suicide of the Wicked Witch of the West - well, with the exception of a near-disaster that was the time portal opening up and nearly sucking in anything it could before they'd finally figured out how to shut the damn thing down - should have been something that made the savior feel a little more solid in the decision, but there was something strange about a break in at a pawn shop being the most adventurous thing that had happened in weeks. Granted, the fact that it was Gold's shop probably meant that there was more to it than what any of the rest of them knew on the surface, but what that actually was Emma could only guess. David would tell her she was looking for trouble where there really wasn't any and to enjoy the moments of peace.

The problem was that peace never seemed to be in the cards for long in her experience.

Even so, there hadn't been anyone try to curse Storybrooke in nearly a month now, people seemed to have settled back down into their previous lives, and even though they weren't certain if they were trapped within the town lines or not, people seemed almost content. Well, most of them anyway. Leroy never missed a chance to grouse about something or the other.

Emma shook her head as she pulled the door open to the diner, spotting her family sitting in a booth just inside. Granny could be heard shouting from the kitchen and Ruby grinned at her as she entered. "Cocoa and….?" she prompted.

"Can't I look at a menu first?"

"Do you really need to?"

The blonde rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Not really." She shrugged her overcoat from her shoulders, snow falling from it and stood waiting while her son scribbled frantically into a notebook, seemingly oblivious that she really wouldn't mind taking a seat and he was blocking the full booth. "Anytime, kid."

"Just a sec," he answered without looking up. His nose was almost touching the paper and the pen scratched desperately against it. When Emma tried to get a look at the words he snapped it closed and scooted over for her, grinning a grin that she was sure was all Neal. "Did you find them?"

"Find who?"

"Gramps told me when we got up that you'd gone to look into a break in at Mr Gold… at my grandpa's shop. Did you find out who it was? Did they take anything?"

Emma glanced over at her father who looked like he hadn't slept in days. She and Henry heard enough of little Neal's midnight screaming from their sectioned off bedrooms in the loft, but Mary Margaret and David had been struggling through the first stages of parenthood that they'd never actually been able to experience with her before. She'd thought she might be jealous of the little prince they'd named after Henry's father, but even at this early hour the sight of him brought a smile to her face and she reached over to him. "Hey, kiddo," she greeted and David passed him over willingly. "Woh. Okay then," she laughed as she found her arms full of baby brother.

"Well?" Henry prodded and she found him giving her the most expectant look.

"Well what? The door was jarred open and the place had been turned upside down. They're going to do inventory and get back to me to let me know what was stolen. We'll go from there."

"They? So Grandpa was there too?"

It still sounded weird to hear Henry call Gold _grandpa_, but he'd been trying his hand at it since he'd gotten his memories back and he remembered that he had two grandfathers in his life. It probably didn't hurt that Gold was his one blood relative that he shared with Neal. Henry had tried to be quiet when it came to it, but he was clinging to anything that had a connection to his father now. Emma had lost Neal too many times and, while it still hurt more than she liked to admit, she felt almost numb to the pain now, but her son - _their_ son - missed him terribly.

Gold wasn't helping, of course. Gold never helped in anything that he didn't want to help in. For all his talk in Neverland of Henry being his grandson and being willing to give his life for him, he had barely bothered to speak to him since he'd come back. In fact, as far as Emma knew, they'd spoken only once, and that had been at Prince Neal's christening when Henry had cornered him. If the kid was hoping to find a connection to his father through his, Emma was worried he'd be disappointed.

"Well, it is his shop," Emma said dismissively.

"But I've barely seen him since… well since he died to save us."

"No one's seen much of him," David pointed out. "The man just got married."

Henry frowned and Emma leaned into him, nudging him with her shoulder. "So I can't do anything with that break in until Belle gets me that list."

"Okay?"

"You want to go check out those apartments we saw?"

"Apartments?" Mary Margaret echoed immediately. "Why would you need to look at apartments?"

"Because we are way too cramped in there," her grown daughter pointed out, "and sooner or later Neal's going to need his own room, won't you kiddo?" she asked the little one still happily nodding off in her arms.

"That's the quietest he's been in a week," David whispered, as if he were afraid to break a spell.

"Yeah, well, what can I say? Guess I have the touch," Emma answered grinning. She turned back to her son. "You in?"

"Sure, I guess," Henry answered without any of his usual enthusiasm. He perked then, dark eyes wide with a newly struck idea. "Were Belle and Grandpa looking over everything when you left?"

"I'd assume they were if they want anything back."

Henry snatched up his notebook he'd been writing in and hopped over the top of the booth to the other side. "Cool. I'm going to go see what I can do to help. We can go look at apartments this afternoon, right?"

Emma started to protest, but couldn't move nearly as quickly as she might have if her brother hadn't been latched onto her. Mary Margaret offered her a smile from across the table. "Let him have his time. He found Neal only to lose him. That's tough on a kid. Who knows, maybe they'll help each other."

"Gold didn't seem to want to help," the blonde answered. "I just don't want him to hurt Henry, even if he doesn't mean to."

David chuckled, standing to round the table and take his son from his daughter's arms. "Henry's a tough kid. He comes by it naturally."

"Guess so," she said reluctantly.

"Good moments," her father reminded her and she laughed, shaking her head.

"Right. Good moments. While they last."

* * *

><p>The snow was falling again as Henry slipped and skidded down the main street of the town he'd grown up in. It was a Saturday and only a few lights were on at this early hour, but there was only one light he really cared about. It was the one coming from a little shop on the corner with a black cadillac parked out front. The door to the shop wasn't off its hinges like Emma had said it was, but that was hardly a surprise. The man that owned it had written one of the most powerful curses ever to exist, a door must have taken nothing more than a brief thought.<p>

He pushed it open, hearing the bell chime overhead and he felt a strange pulse, almost like electricity, rush through his fingertips. The showroom was quiet and still looked as if someone had been searching for something in a rush. He stepped forward, brushing his coat off as he went and starting to shed layers as the warmth seeped in.

"I'm sorry, I thought we'd locked the door," Belle's voice drifted from the back as she pulled at the curtain that separated the showroom from the office. "We're not open. Oh. Hello, Henry."

"Hey. Mom told me what happened, so I thought I'd come offer to help. That and-" He stopped, dark eyes catching his grandfather's as Rumplestiltskin came into the front. His expression tightened momentarily before evening out into masked uncertainty. "And I wanted to ask my grandpa a question," he finished, watching him carefully for the reaction that his dad's dad seemed so determined not to give. He had taken the first step to come here, now it was up to his grandfather to accept.

The shop owner pulled in a deep breath and offered a hesitant smile. "Good morning, Henry. You're here awful early."

"I couldn't sleep so I decided to catch breakfast with Grandma Snow and Gramps at Granny's. Mom came too, since she was over here so early. I know you're busy trying to figure out who broke in and everything, but I have a question if you have a second."

Rumplestiltskin looked over to Belle as if she'd offerer an answer to a question Henry didn't know, but she only smiled and tipped up on her toes to press a kiss on his cheek. "Why don't you two chat? I'll be in the back and let you know if I come across anything that's been taken."

He nodded slowly and turned his attention back to Henry, running a hand through his grey streaked hair before moving around to the counter to fiddle with something. "What can I help you with, Henry?"

"I had this weird dream last night," he said hesitantly and felt more than a little foolish as the words started to tumble out of his mouth. When he'd decided to come here for help, it had made sense. The nightmare had been so _real_, so different from anything else he'd ever known, that he'd thought there must be something more to it. His grandfather had visions, and while he hoped to everything that this hadn't been something that would ever actually happen, something inside had screamed that it was more than a nightmare. More than just a dream. In his experience, things in Storybrooke that seemed strange often were, and things that were strange were often fueled by magic. Who better to ask about magic than Rumplestiltskin?

Now, though, as his grandfather's dark eyes flickered up to meet his own, he felt like a little boy that had let a nightmare run away with him. He pushed a sharp breath out through his nose. He wanted to spend time with the elder man and get to know his dad's papa, but he didn't need to work up some magical problem to do that. "Nevermind. It's stupid."

"Somehow I doubt that," his grandfather said, his voice stopping him in his tracks as he meant to turn and leave. Rumplestiltskin was fully focused, and he didn't seem keen on allowing his grandson to leave it at that. "Go on," he urged gently and the small smile he gave him actually looked real.

Henry plopped the notebook on the counter between them. "I wrote it down so I wouldn't forget it," he explained as long, skilled fingers reached for it, flipping through the pages. Brown eyes narrowed as he read the words scrawled there and the teen felt more embarrassed than before. "I know you wouldn't hurt her," he defended softly. "I knew it in the dream. It's just… everyone was so sure. I don't know, it felt so _real_."

"May I borrow this?"

"My notebook?"

"Yes, if you don't mind."

Henry felt something clench tightly in his chest and his brows drew closer together. "Is there something to it, Grandpa? It… funny."

Rumplestiltskin stiffened a bit at the name and then seemed to relax again. "You have a good intuition, Henry. Let me take a look and I'll let you know what I find."

"Can we have lunch? Will you know something by then?"

A short chuckle escaped the pawnbroker and he closed the notebook. "I should, yes. How much I know is uncertain, but I'll give you a call and meet you at Granny's this afternoon when I have something. How does that work?"

Henry grinned. "Deal," he answered and that pulled another chuckle from the elder man. "I'll see you then."

His mom had bailed on apartment-looking more times than he could count since they'd finally decided to stay, so Henry was willing to cut it short if he needed to to spend time with his grandfather and get the answers that he needed. He had _known_ there was something strange about that dream in which all of Storybrooke had been utterly convinced that Rumplestiltskin had murdered Emma Swan, and together they could find out just what it was.

* * *

><p>TBC<p>

Notes: Hat tip to AnimeGirl23 for inspiring part of the plot in this story. I can't go into what, specifically, or I'd be providing major spoilers first off, but she started this one off in a conversation that we had.

Likely this will be two times a week update rather than my usual three. I wanted to go ahead and put this up today, but starting next week I'll likely update on Mondays and Thursdays. The reason is that I'm determined to focus on my original work for NaNoWriMo this year. If anyone else is participating, let me know!

As always, I'm very interested to hear what you think!

Next time: Chapter Two, in which answers lead to more questions and Henry ropes his grandfather into Operation Sandman.


	2. Chapter Two

**Chapter Two**

"You've been a lot of help," Belle teased as she moved to wrap her arms around his neck from behind, chin resting against his shoulder.

Rumplestiltskin has been studying his grandson's notes on the boy's dream since he'd left it with him and had barely moved. He hadn't even budged when his wife had gone to pick up breakfast and bring it back to continue on their search. When Belle had spoken he'd answered, though he'd hardly listened to what she said or the words that came fluttering up in response. He was engrossed in the scribblings of a hurried hand desperate to mark down what his mind's eye had seen before he lost it forever.

The touch was what startled him and he froze, flashes of moments far from this one racing through his mind and every muscle tensed for a pain that would not come. Belle released him immediately. "I'm sorry," she breathed. "I didn't mean to startle you."

"It's fine," Rumplestiltskin answered quickly, closing the notebook and leaning back as he brought himself instantly under control again. He supposed he should be grateful that there weren't moments like this that ruined his time with the woman he loved.

Belle's hands moved back to his shoulders carefully, her touch soothing now that he knew it was hers and he looked up, finding blue eyes staring down at him curiously. "What are you reading so hard on?"

"Just the bit Henry left."

"Is something wrong?"

He paused, weighing options. He trusted Belle, he really did, but there was no reason to worry her if there was nothing wrong. The dream seemed to match his own from that morning, though from Henry's eyes instead of his own. The boy hadn't witnessed his grandfather's death, but instead had been held back as the mob set out on him. Belle had been there as well and hey seemed the only two in Storybrooke convinced if Rumplestiltskin's innocence. He didn't believe in coincidences, and certainly not in dreams shared without meaning, but there was no reason to worry her until he knew it was something vicious.

"Henry has supposedly been having some dreams he was curious about," he said carefully, hedging around the details.

Her expression softened and she leaned down to kiss his cheek. "You both have," she murmured. "Maybe this is your chance to get closer to Henry. I know you've wanted to."

Dark eyes blinked at her as Rumplestiltskin turned in his seat to better face her. He hadn't said anything, even if he knew she was right. Baelfire was gone and there was no way to being back the dead - unless the dead was the Dark One, he thought bitterly - but his grandson remained. He owed it to Bae to allow Henry into his life. He owed it to his son to protect his when he could not.

Belle smiled. "Don't deny it," she said sweetly. "I know you, Rumplestiltskin, and nothing is more important to you than family. Henry is family."

"You're right. Of course you're right," he answered and her smile only grew.

"Take your time and get to know him. There are certainly much worse ways to spend your days and-" she paused for just a moment, looking as if she were weighing her next words- "and you can't stay cooped up forever."

"I haven't been cooped up," he argued, but the look she gave him told him she wasn't buying it.

"Yes you have."

A smirk played at his lips as he took her hand, kissing it. "Growing tired of me already, Mrs Gold?"

"I could never grow tired of you," she answered the tease and bent, lips pressing against his. "But I'm _not_ the only family you have left."

"I know."

"It'll be good for you. And for him. For both of you."

"You are a wonder," Rumplestiltskin said as he stood.

"And I always know more than you think I do," she said in a teasing voice. "Now, while you're at lunch with Henry, I'm going to go let Emma know that everything seems to be here. Should I mention what you found in your spell?"

He frowned, watching her surprisingly well masked expression. His Belle had always been clever and a quick learner, but when she had agreed to marry him she had acknowledged that there were things he would always play close and she promised to do her best not to fault him for it. She was giving him the space to trust or not trust here and withholding judgement on it.

"Not just yet," he answered slowly, the images that the spell had caught flickering through his mind. The intruder had looked like a man, cloaked well enough that even magic had not uncovered his identity, and he'd most certainly been on the search. For now, all they could really do was wait. He'd left nothing but more questions in his wake, but in Rumplestiltskin's experience, questions had a way of coming back around again if one were patient enough to let them. "Nothing was stolen, so please remind the sheriff she really has no further business in it."

"Rumple."

"What?"

"Don't be rude," she reminded him gently and kissed him again before her footsteps sounded on the wood floor on her way out.

* * *

><p>Since he'd learned to navigate the Netherworld, Henry had a pretty good idea when he was dreaming and when he wasn't. There was a point that he could find in his mind where things shifted. He had been out at the apartments that overlooked the ocean with Emma when she'd gotten a call from Belle to go over the break in. That had been real. The world had been solid under his feet and there was an arrival and a departure point. He had gone back to the loft and sat down from there, he was sure, and then found himself standing on Main Street with Belle arguing with David. It was as if it were picking up where his earlier dream left off, the same accusations flying around and hostility so heavy in the air that Henry thought it might be tangible.<p>

"Rumple had _nothing_ to do with her death," Belle argued and David whirled on her with an uncharacteristically shortness in his tone.

"I know you love him, Belle, but you can't save him from this. He _killed_ Emma. No one can save him from what happens now."

"No, he didn't kill her!" Henry yelled, the knowledge filling him full until the words burst out. He knew his Grandpa Gold wasn't like Gramps. He wasn't a hero, per se, but he wasn't a villain either. He knew he hadn't killed his mom. He just knew it.

Gramps turned, blue eyes focused on him but something felt so very wrong in that moment. "I'm sorry, kid. There's no other way."

Everything shifted again and Henry was struggling, strong hands holding him back and he heard Belle screaming for Rumplestiltskin. Gramps was standing out in the middle of the street, sword drawn and breathing hard as if he'd chased someone down. Henry wrenched free, the hands finally releasing him and he darted forward.

Knowing it was a dream and accepting it all the way through were always two different things. Rumplestiltskin had once told him that if he controlled the dream that there was no reason to fear it, but it had spiralled out of control and he could feel the fear rising up and through him, spreading even to the tips of his fingers and toes as he moved closer. The sword was covered in blood and David looked to him, a sort of emptiness in his blue eyes that didn't fit him at all. On the ground, crumpled to the pavement of the street, lay Grandpa Gold.

The cry filled the living room of the loft as he bolted upright on the couch, nearly tumbling off of it as he came out of the nightmare. Henry sat there for a moment, trying to find a way to still the trembling and settle out his breathing.

"Everything okay, Henry?"

He looked up to see David looking worriedly over at him and he tried to push the images from his mind. It wasn't a vision. He didn't have visions. Only Grandpa Gold did and there was no way to pass those along, right? "Yeah," he managed after a moment and fished his cell phone out of his pocket, seeing a missed call there. The buzzing must have brought him out of the dream as much as the terrifying scene did. Gramps was still lingering there even as he hit redial and Henry tried to offer a reassuring smile, though he wasn't sure how real it looked until his paternal grandfather's voice answered on the other end. "Sorry I missed your call."

"No problem," Rumplestiltskin answered from the other end and Henry heard the sound of the bell in the shop. "I'm leaving for Granny's now. I'll have your notebook with me."

"Be there in just a minute then," Henry answered and received only a brief goodbye before the line clicked off.

"Going somewhere?" David asked as Henry urged his shoes on his feet.

"I'm having lunch with Grandpa Gold." He didn't give his other grandfather time to respond as he raced to the door and grabbed his jacket. "See ya," he yelled behind him as he darted out, still trying to free himself from the lingering hold of the nightmare.

* * *

><p>Belle had never spent a great deal of time with Emma. They'd worked together a bit when they were trying to find a way to defeat Zelena, but other than that the two women rarely crossed paths. Part of that was the fact that it had been so quiet since the Wicked Witch had died and her portal had been snapped closed before it could pull anything or anyone through it into the past. When it was quiet and disasters weren't knocking at everyone's doors the town, in all honesty, had little reason to seek out either hers or her husband's help in anything. When danger loomed everyone wanted something from the powerful Dark One, just as they had in days long past, but when it was quiet they were left well enough alone. Rumple was perfectly content to leave it that way - in fact, he'd prefer if they left him alone all together - but it made Belle feel isolated at times. With a few exceptions, if she didn't make an effort to see those that she hoped she could call friends, she would never hear from them. She made the effort, as did just a few like Ruby, and even Henry had dropped by a time or two, but Belle had a sneaky suspicion he'd been looking for his grandfather, other than that, she hadn't seen many people.<p>

The other possibility - and one that she clung to in hopes that it was truer than the idea that the heroes of Storybrooke had little use for them unless all hell was breaking loose - was that they were giving Rumple and she space. He had lost his son, had been held captive by Bae's murderer, and they were newly married. Her love hid behind a rather sharp and dangerous outer shell that few understood how to get past, so in the end it was easier to simply let him be. While she was certain that the others would, eventually, see him for who he truly was underneath all of that, she knew it would take time.

"There's got to be more to it than just that," Emma mused as she leaned against her desk at the sheriff's office.

Belle shrugged. "Nothing seems to be missing. I went through everything."

"And you can't think of anyone he's pissed off recently?"

"Not in the month he's been home, no," Belle answered pointedly and to her credit Emma grimaced.

"Sorry."

Belle sighed and offered a sad smile. "It's not just you," she admitted softly. "It's not like he's made an effort to put things back the way they were… whatever that actually means. I'm hoping that lunch with Henry will help. He's been... Rumple holds everything inside because he's rarely had a soul he could trust to share it with. He searched for Bae so long just to have him ripped away. It's not something that he can just let go of." She stopped, realizing that Emma was staring at her as she worked through her thoughts and she gave a short laugh. Maybe she had been keeping too much to herself as well. "I just think it'll be good for him to focus on something other than his loss."

"He hasn't seemed to want to before now," Storybrooke's savior said hesitantly.

"He has, he just hasn't known how to approach it."

Emma nodded slowly, seeming to soak the words in and let them rattle around in her mind for a moment.

"It could be good for them." Belle watched the blonde for just a moment and a frown tugged at her lips. "I'm sorry, I haven't even asked how you're holding up with this, as if we're the only ones that were affected by it." She reached out, fingers just barely grazing Emma's jacket. "He loved you, you know. We spend some time together before he opened the vault and he-"

Emma pulled away as if she'd stepped too close to an open flame. "Yeah. I know," she huffed. "Listen, I've got some things to handle, so if you wouldn't mind just making sure Gold doesn't teach Henry how to rip people's hearts out or whatever craziness comes with dark magic…"

"I'll make sure he behaves," Belle chuckled. It seemed that poor Henry had quite a few family members that built up walls to hide behind. It was a wonder the boy seemed as open as he was.

"Great. Thanks."

Belle knew a dismissal when she heard one and she offered one more smile before turning, pulling her long coat up and around her shoulders. Things would get better. Given time, they always got better. Loss left a deep wound behind - sometimes one not easily recognized unless you took the time to really look - and it appeared that Baelfire's passing had touched more than just her own little circle. Henry, Emma, and there was no telling how many more that just hadn't said. Rumple might not be ready to face the world, but he needed to, if only to make sure he knew that he was not alone in that pain. Henry was a good first step, and perhaps that's what he really needed. One step would lead to another and then to another, and with each day the pain would fade a little more into the background as life moved forward. It would never go away, and she wasn't so naive to think that it would, but it could lessen. Bae's memory could be what brought the little tattered family together, and from what Belle knew, that would have brought a smile to his face.

* * *

><p>He'd beaten Henry there, but that wasn't much of a surprise. Rumplestiltskin had been out of the door when his grandson had called him back. He'd almost decided that it would be best just to head home, to avoid even the last rounds of the lunch crowd at Granny's, but there'd been something in his voice when he'd called and he <em>had<em> agreed to lunch. He'd broken one deal in his life and he'd be damned if he'd break even a little one with his grandson.

Granny had quirked an eyebrow when he'd entered, but hadn't said anything. She'd put an ice tea down without a word and had gone back to wiping down the counter about the time that his grandson came bounding in, still stomping the snow and ice from his shoes at the front door. He pulled the cap from his head, dark hair untamed and so very much like Bae's had been at that age, and he grinned widely at the sight of Rumplestiltskin sat somewhat patiently in the booth, notebook set waiting on the table.

Rumplestiltskin had lived a long time, and he fancied himself an expert in much and certainly knowledgeable in that much more. Over the years he'd developed a keen sense to read between the lines, even if those lines were a wide grin that had seemed excitable at a distance. As Henry drew closer, he saw there was more under it, and that more seemed to be utter relief. The boy was excited, it was true, but something had happened. As he slid into the seat across from his grandfather, the elder man lifted a questioning eyebrow. "Well?"

"Well what?"

"Is it a double cocoa sort of day, Henry?" Ruby called from the kitchen through the little order window.

"Yep! It's freezing out there," he announced and turned back, a pointed look aimed at the iced tea. "Really?"

Rumplestiltskin shrugged, not deterred by the question. "What happened?"

The excitement fell a notch or two and he'd been caught. "I had another dream," he admitted softly and Ruby set the cocoa that must have already been in the process of being poured when she'd asked down in front of him. He thanked her and took a sip. "It kept going."

"The dream?"

"Yeah."

He wasn't saying something, and the way he kept sipping on the cocoa so he wouldn't have to said more than words might. "What did you see, Henry?" he prodded softly.

"First tell me what you found."

Rumplestiltskin pulled in a deep breath, scooting the notebook between them. "You were right to put it immediately to paper."

"I was afraid I'd forget it."

"But you haven't, have you?"

He watched the boy, but he knew the answer before he received a confirming nod. He'd found traces of a spell that led through in Henry's hurried writings. The traces hadn't been enough to follow the trail back to the original spell, much less the castor themself, but it was enough to know that something was amiss and he and Henry were at the center if it.

Rumplestiltskin sighed and his grandson leaned forward. "Why would I dream about people thinking you'd killed my mom? Am I going crazy?"

"No, Henry, you're not going crazy," his grandfather promised softly. "You were right to come to me on this, though I am curious why not your mother."

"Mom would freak out. Both of them, and you helped when I got stuck in the Netherworld and... Well you're in the dream too. The one I had before I came was really intense." He leaned forward just a little more and his voice dropped to a conspiratorial whisper. "Gramps was after you. He was convinced you'd killed Emma and he... Well he hurt you."

Hurt was an understatement and a ghost of a pain drifted through his memory from his own nightmare that morning. Henry had been right. It felt more real than any dream that wasn't pulling from either his past or his future ever had. He could still feel Snow's arrow and David's blade tearing at him. It wasn't something he wanted to discuss with anyone, much less a boy that was far too young to be introduced to any further terrors than he'd already endured.

Rumplestiltskin looked across the table and found his grandson staring back. A lie bubbled up in his throat, some sort of half truth or partial explanation that wouldn't let him in to what he was really thinking, but there was something there in those eyes that looked so like Bae's that made him pause. He didn't flinch as the burgers that neither of them had actually ordered were set down in front of them, nor did he even acknowledge Ruby as she set them down. He simply studied his grandson until she was gone, steeling his courage that always seemed to be so lacking at all the wrong times. "I had the same dream," he confessed softly when they were alone again.

Henry had just taken a bite of his food and nearly choked on it. "You did?"

"David chasing me down and oh so convinced I was responsible for a death that I'd have no reason to cause, yes."

His grandson grimaced at that. "Did you…"

"I don't know. I woke up when… well not long after… What?"

Henry looked horrified in that moment, fork clattering down to his plate as his grandfather spoke and his eyes wide. "You're okay, right?"

"It was a dream, Henry."

"So was the room on fire and it left scars."

"Are you… worried about me?" Rumplestiltskin asked hesitantly.

"Of course I am!"

Words escaped him at the naked honesty in the boy's voice. They hadn't been close as Charming and Henry were, and he'd had to fight off his own dark impulses not to murder his grandson outright to save his own life - granted, he wasn't entirely sure that Henry knew about all of that - but here he was, fully afraid for a man that many likely thought deserved whatever death he was finally dealt. It warmed the chill that had never really left him since he had woken that morning and Rumplestiltskin's thin lips pulled into a smile. It was small, but it was real. "I'm alright, Henry. We'll figure this out."

"Yeah," he agreed, picking up his fork like the words had made the world a better place again. "That's what Operation Sandman's about. Making sure our family stays alive and whole, right?"

"Operation... what?"

Henry grinned. "Operation Sandman," he repeated. "You said _we_ would figure it out. Every mission needs a code name."

"Henry..." Rumplestiltskin began to argue. They had no idea how deep this would go. It could be an odd quirk with a bit of untrained magic gone wrong or it could become as dangerous as the nightmares would indicate.

"C'mon, Grandpa, you can't cut me out of this one. I'm in the middle of it now."

"That's what I'm not comfortable with. It'd be best if we put as much distance between whatever is causing this and you as possible."

"I'm not afraid. Anyway, I want to spend time with you," he argued and Rumplestiltskin would have chuckled at his budding little manipulator of a grandson had the words not tugged at his heart. His hamburger was completely forgotten in front of him and his dark eyes were fixed on the Dark One, waiting for a response.

Rumplestiltskin pulled in a steadying breath. He was going to regret this. "You're not to go off investigating this on your own, do you hear?"

"But you'll let me help?"

"If you'll do as I say."

"Completely," Henry promised enthusiastically. "Totally. Anything you say, Grandpa." He was grinning so hard that it looked like it should be hurting his face. "Operation Sandman is going to be _awesome_!"

Rumplestiltskin almost argued the name again, but found he couldn't quite bring himself to. "Right," he managed after a moment and the boy beamed, starting in on the burger again. His grandfather wasn't sure quite what they'd gotten themselves into this time, but he knew he couldn't betray this lad sitting across the table from him. He'd been right. He was just as much a part of this as Rumple was. Leaving him to his own devices would ensure the boy got himself tangled up in something without someone there to help pull him back out. Henry didn't seem inclined to bring the rest of his family into the middle of it, and Rumplestiltskin was secretly glad for that. There were enough questions, enough suspicions after Zelena and the dagger and everything that had happened. It had left him less willing to trust Storybrooke's heroes than usual, and he had no desire to have them interrogating him on if he intended to kill their precious little savior or not. He had no reason to wish Emma dead. She was his grandson's mother and no matter what the future held, killing her would be an utter betrayal to the boy that was willing to put his faith so blindly in the monster sitting across the table from him. He wouldn't do it. He wouldn't risk shattering Baelfire's son's heart. Nothing in all the worlds could make him.

* * *

><p>TBC<p>

Notes: I've been receiving questions about Bae and if he'll make an appearance in this story. While this is set after the end of 3B where Baelfire dies, I will go as far as to say that I'm pretty sure I'm incapable of writing a story without Bae in it. That's about all I can say without completely spoiling later events in this story :)

Next time, in Chapter Three - Rumple opens up to Belle about the dreams, Henry seeks his grandfather's help at odd hours, and Regina and Emma discuss their son.


	3. Chapter Three

**Chapter Three**

Exactly one week after his lunch with Henry Rumplestiltskin could count the number of hours he'd slept on two hands. If the ritual hadn't been set up before when the nightmares had only consisted of Zelena's hold over him and Bae's death playing on repeat in his mind - and that _only_ was a terrible thing within itself - then it was now. The nightmares were coming every night, changing in small ways as if to mock him into thinking he could escape them. He woke screaming, having lived through his own death each time. Not even Zelena had put him through this sort of physical torture when she held his dagger, though she might have been able to come close.

"Rumple," Belle murmured softly from behind, alerting him of her presence before she wrapped her arms around his middle and pressed her cheek against his back. They stood like that in the dark of the kitchen for several long moments, his heart still pounding loud enough that he was sure she could have heard it from the stairs. She sighed and he leaned heavily on the kitchen counter in front of him. "I've been patient," she whispered as she released him, moving into his line of sight. "What's going on?"

"I don't-"

"Want to talk about it. I know, but Rumple, it's not just you it's affecting."

He grimaced at the worried look in her clear eyes. "I'm sorry."

"Then let me in. When you have me your dagger you gave me your trust, didn't you?"

He flinched. "Are you ordering me?"

Her expression shifted from confused, to angry, and then to frustration all in a brief flash. "Is that what you think of me?" she whispered and her voice was hurt.

Rumplestiltskin knew immediately it had been the wrong question and he reached out to her hesitantly. "No, of course not."

She took his hand and pressed a kiss to his palm. "I trust you because I love you. I don't always understand you, but that's often because you keep it all in. Rumple, _please_. I'm not going anywhere. You're not going to frighten me away or whatever other crazy idea you've got locked away in that clever mind of yours. Trust me."

He loosed a shaky breath and pulled her close, burying his nose in her hair and feeling her arms go around him again. This woman - this brave, strong woman - had chosen him and now he needed to choose to trust her where he could. "I've had these nightmares," he began.

"Of that I'm fully aware," she answered, letting go and moving around the counter. He watched her as she padded across the kitchen, eyes fixed on her as she grabbed the kettle off the stove and turned the sink on to fill it with water. "I'm just making tea," she explained and he nodded, feeling an utter fool. Her voice was strained but soft, and he knew how much he'd put her through.

"They change a little every time, but the gist is the same," he said slowly. "The entire town - save you and Henry - are convinced that I've somehow brought about the untimely demise of Miss Swan."

Belle paused briefly, filling the kettle too full and having to pour some out. He saw the question there and for some reason it hurt. It shouldn't. She knew he was monster, knew what he was capable of. The question was a legitimate one. "No, I didn't kill her."

"I know," she answered without missing a beat. "It's just... This is what's woken you each night for a week? Rumple, this has to be more than a dream."

"I know."

"Are you looking into it?"

"Of course I am," he snapped and immediately pulled back, an apology tumbling from his lips. He'd begun this, now he had to prove he trusted her. He had to prove it to Belle and to himself. He swallowed hard as she set the kettle back onto the stove. "Henry's been having the same dreams. Down to the end."

Belle perked as if she remembered something and she pulled his phone from her robe pocket. "Henry called. It was one of the reasons I followed you down." He reached for the phone and she held it in he hand a moment. "How does it end?"

Well, he'd never doubted how clever she was. "I die. Each and every time," he whispered and she released the phone as it began to buzz in her hand. "Hey, Henry."

"Grandpa?" The single word cracked as if the boy had stopped crying only to start again when he heard his grandfather's voice.

Belle still looked horrified by his last words to her and he rounded the counter to pull her into his arms. "I'm right here. Are you alright?" he directed towards his grandson.

"Yeah," he sniffed. "I'm sorry. It's just... I was right _there_. I didn't come in after it happened before... I _saw_ him kill you."

Rumplestiltskin pulled Belle just a little closer. The kettle started to sing at just the wrong time and he barely twitched a finger, repositioning it on a cool part of the stove. His own nightmare has been particularly terrible that night, with Belle and Henry's screams in his ears and seemingly the whole town descending in him. He'd felt bones break under blows given by people he was fairly certain had never struck another person in their life and it had reminded him of the weeks he'd spent after he'd broken his ankle in the Ogres War, but before they'd sent him away. He couldn't fight back. Dreams did that, he knew, but this wasn't just a dream.

"Henry," he murmured, trying to find something to say. They'd been comparing the dreams each day after Henry was through with school. The boy would come by the shop, notebook in hand, and would never have to look at the paper as he dictated what he saw. It was etched into his mind just as deeply as it was his grandfather's. After he'd finish there was rarely any reason for Rumplestiltskin to repeat his own. The two often ran parallel.

Belle untangled herself from his arms reluctantly to see to the tea and Henry gave another sniff on the other end of the line. "Could you do something?"

"Of course," Rumplestiltskin answered a little easier than he would have for anyone else.

"Could you come open the front door? It's freezing out here."

It took his sleep deprived mind a moment to process the words and then he nearly dropped the phone in his haste to turn and get to the front door. "Rumple?" Belle called after him, confusion lining her voice, but he didn't take the moment it would have needed to answer. Instead magic flipped the locks and he pulled the door open, finding Henry standing on his doorstep.

He looked younger in that moment, buried in layers of a jacket over a sweater over clothes. He had a hat pulled down around his ears and his scarf up around his chin. The tip of his nose was bright red and he sniffed again, moving forward and wrapping his arms around his grandpa's middle. Rumplestiltskin stood there a moment, unsure quite how to respond, but then slowly returned the embrace.

"Henry?" Belle called in surprise, rushing forward even as she tightened her robe around her shoulders. She immediately started brushing snow off onto the floor and plucked the snow cap from his head. "What in the worlds are you doing here so late?" She looked up at Rumple like he had some sort of explanation.

"I'm sorry. I guess you guys might have been sleeping."

"Rarely any of that going on anymore," Rumplestiltskin snorted and Belle grabbed a quilt from the couch in the den, swapping it for the snow covered coat.

Henry pulled it closer around him. "I woke up and I couldn't breathe. It just felt so stuffy in the apartment, so I thought I'd step outside. Everyone was sleeping and I didn't want to wake them up, and by the time I called you I was almost here."

"Your mother doesn't know you're here?" Belle asked and Henry shook his head.

"I'll send her a text."

"That's going to be a fun conversation," Rumplestiltskin groused and Belle shot him a look.

"The feeling didn't go away when I got outside, so I thought maybe something was wrong. Like… whatever spell that whoever cast might have been coming after me or something. I don't know. It's stupid."

"It's not stupid," his grandfather said immediately. "Nor do I think it was the spell itself."

Belle lifted an eyebrow and he didn't like the look she was wearing. "It sounds like a panic attack. Not that we know anyone in his family that he could have inherited _that_ from."

Henry finished typing out his message and looked up at him and in that moment Rumplestiltskin saw more resemblance to Bae at that age than he'd ever seen in the boy before. It was the small things. The way that worry shown in his eyes and the fact that he looked like he wasn't quite sure what to do with his hands now that they weren't bounding in all direction in some story or another. "Can I stay?"

"'Course, Henry," his grandfather managed, his voice betraying him even then.

"I'm going to finish putting the tea together and bring it up. Sneezy said it was supposed to help you sleep when he sold it to me."

Henry didn't speak any more than Rumplestiltskin did as he followed the elder man up the old stairs and to a spare bedroom just down from his own. He looked as exhausted as Rumple felt, and as he watched the boy peel off his boots and socks and pull back the warm covers of a bed that probably had never actually been slept in before he tried to offer a smile. "We'll fix this, Henry."

"I've been asking around - quietly, like you said - and if anyone is having any weird dreams, they don't remember them. Why is it just us?"

"I don't know, but I'll find out."

"I know you will," Henry answered as he crawled under the covers and peeked up at his father's father. "I've never been in here before."

"This room?"

"Your house."

"I suppose you haven't," he breathed the response, glancing back to the hall where Belle was bound to be coming up the stairs any time now.

"I like it. Did Dad ever sleep here when he was in Storybrooke?"

"No," Rumplestiltskin answered sadly. "He never did. We didn't… Well we really didn't have time before everything happened what with Pan and then Zelena. We didn't have time." He felt his own walls threatening to shatter and loose all the pain he kept hidden back behind them. He should have _made_ time for Bae. His precious boy that he'd looked for for so long. He'd had him, and even then he hadn't known how to love him the way he needed to be loved. They'd spoken a couple of times in the shop after they'd come back from Neverland and they'd planned for Bae to come by the house, but it hadn't happened. He hadn't appreciated the time they had before he was gone. "You're always welcome here, Henry," he said after a moment, and he wasn't sure when he'd crossed the room to kneel down by the boy's bed.

Henry smiled through the tears and reached over to wrap his arms around the elder man's neck. "When it doesn't hurt so much, will you tell me all about him when he was my age?"

"I'm not sure it'll ever stop, but yes, I'll tell you all about your father when he was your age."

A soft knock came at the door and Belle held up a mug of steaming tea. "It's nearly three in the morning. Why don't we all try to get just a little more sleep and we can continue this in the morning?"

Henry nodded and she set his tea down on the table by the bed. "Thanks, Belle."

She smiled and took Rumplestiltskin's hand as they left Henry to sleep. He followed her back into their bedroom and closed the door behind them. Mugs of the same herbal tea sat on top of the dresser and she reached for hers, carrying it with her to crawl into her side of the bed and sip on it. She waited until her husband joined her before turning clear, clever eyes on him. "Don't keep this from me," she said firmly.

"No, I won't. Not anymore," he agreed.

"Are we in danger?"

"I don't know yet."

"Do you know what's causing it?"

"No. I've been searching for a week and haven't found a damn thing. Henry's been checking through the whole town and it seems we're the only two people to share this dream. It might have something to do with blood magic of some sort, but I don't know."

Belle took his hand with her free one and squeezed his fingers. "Well, now you have me, and I know your library better than you do. We'll find an answer. Together."

"Together," he agreed, raising her knuckles to his lips and he pressed a kiss there. He was learning in small steps, but if he was going to trust anyone, it was Belle. Perhaps when this was all over and they'd fought whatever demon they were going to face he could work up the courage to tell her about the dagger switch as well and all the many, many reasons why. Then they could decide what they were going to do and which direction they were going to go with that. Together.

* * *

><p>"He's hiding something from me. He's never hidden anything from me."<p>

"Now we both know that's simple not true," Regina answered, dark eyes flickering over the edge of her coffee mug at the woman that sat with her legs curled up on her - expensive! - white couch of an office that arguably didn't belong to her anymore. She hadn't cast this curse and she thought she might deserve something of a break after the utter chaos coming back had brought with it. Not that she and Robin could really get away anywhere, of course. There was still the issue of the town line. No one had tried to cross it, but she didn't want to be the one that found out that now that she was a 'victim' of this new curse that her memories would be wiped again. Regina hated the not knowing.

"You know what I mean," Emma snapped irritably and pulled her knees up to her chin as Regina snorted. What a world they lived in now that Emma Swan was coming to _her_ for advice on Henry. Of her own free will. "He's sneaking around like-"

"Like he did when you came to town?" the former Evil Queen asked pointedly and watched the savior's shoulders droop a little. She didn't have to utterly indulge in darkness to appreciate a little irony.

"Yeah," the blonde answered reluctantly. "He snuck out of the apartment last night."

That caught Regina's attention. "He did _what_? It was freezing last night. Where was he going?" A thousand different scenarios crashed through her mind all at once and she wasn't sure when she'd stood up from her seat.

"Gold's house," Emma answered in a tone that said she wasn't happy.

Regina sat back down hard. "Why?"

"That's the thing. He wouldn't tell me. He got home this morning in time to change for school and was gone again. When I asked him he wouldn't give me a straight answer. I thought maybe he'd mentioned something to you that could give me an idea why he'd do something like that…."

"He hasn't," the mayor managed, feeling a numbness seep in. Rumple had never shown any real interest in fostering a relationship with his son's son before, for all his talk of family. She hadn't expected that to change, nor had Henry spoken about going to visit his paternal grandfather when he came to visit her. "Does he spend a great deal of time with him? He hasn't said anything to me."

Emma shrugged. "He goes over to the shop sometimes. Belle thinks they're helping each other. I don't know. I know Henry's having a rough time with Neal dying and all that, but I thought he'd talk to one of us, you know."

"Well, it would probably help if you didn't replace his father quite so quickly." She knew the words were crueler than they'd been intended as soon as they'd left her lips and she took a lengthy sip from her coffee mug. Well, if Emma had wanted coddling, she should have gone to her mother for advice.

The blonde gaped at her. "I'm not replacing Neal! Has Henry said something like that?"

Regina set the mug down and leaned forward, reminding herself that she had promised to be content in sharing her son with this woman. Henry loved her and as much as she hated to admit it, he'd been happier with her here. They had to work together to keep him safe. "Not in so many words, but I can see it. Henry has always wanted family and there's little worse than finding them and then losing them again. Now suddenly Hook is around all the time, constantly flirting with little care of how it comes across-"

"Henry didn't have a problem before."

"He didn't _remember_ before," Regina pointed out. "Now he remembers Neal and he's gone."

Emma huffed a sigh. "He's going to Gold because he's Neal's dad. I knew that was it to an extent. Belle seemed to think that they were coming together out of a mutual grief, but three in the morning? Something weird is going on, right? I'm not going crazy?"

"There's always more to Rumple than what you see on the surface."

"You know him pretty well."

"As well as anyone can." Regina didn't like it any better than Emma. She didn't trust Rumplestiltskin at the present. He'd been livid in the barn as they were taking Zelena away and an angry Rumple was a dangerous Rumple. He didn't always act right away - though Zelena _had_ died rather suspiciously if you asked Regina, even if her former teacher had what seemed like an airtight alibi with his dagger in Belle's oh-so innocent hands - but often let it stew, setting up all the pieces just so and then stepped back to watch everything crash down around those that he saw as his enemies. If he was using Henry as a pawn in whatever he was thinking Regina would never forgive him.

"You don't think he's using him, do you?" Emma asked softly, startling the elder woman out of her thoughts on the same subject.

"I wouldn't put it past him." She sighed, standing again.

"You don't trust him."

There was no question in her voice and Regina offered a strained smile. "Not right now I don't. I know what grief does to a person, Miss Swan, and I know how easy it is to choose to do the wrong thing. Best case is that he realized that Neal isn't coming back and there's no _fix_ for this now, so now he's holding tight to the one link he has left."

"Worst case?"

She turned, dark eyes fixed on hazel ones. "Worst case is that he's taking advantage of our son."

* * *

><p>He'd never felt pain quite like this. It started in his chest and worked its way from there, reaching out and in all at once until it threatened to consume him. Maybe it had. He'd thought the grief of losing her the first time had been unbearable. There was no way to know if their plan would really work, but he'd had faith, and his faith had sustained him through that pain that his cursed self hadn't even known he'd been feeling. The second time he'd lost her, he told himself that she was safe and happy, and that had pushed him forward.<p>

Now Emma was dead and David couldn't do anything to push that loss aside. Nothing could stop the ache entirely, but putting an end to her murderer was the first step to dulling it. The man had turned all their lives upside down far too often and this time he'd gone too far. This time he would pay for it. Killing a man that was considered immortal was a difficult task to be sure, but Blue had placed an enchantment on his sword that should do the trick.

He'd found him at the shop and Gold had denied it. The lies poured from him and David felt the rage building. His daughter was dead and Rumplestiltskin couldn't even find it in him to admit it in the end. They all knew. There was no escaping with the town lines to keep him trapped. It wasn't until one of Snow's arrows had downed him in the street that that old smile returned to his lips and David saw the demon that had worn the cloak of a man willing to help them from time to time. "Why?" the prince demanded, his voice breaking even on the single word. His daughter was dead and he hadn't been able to save her.

That smile stretched a little further and he saw an old madness there. "It was her fault," he answered, voice pitched up like the imp they'd all known him as back home. "Her fault. Her fault. Her fault."

David grabbed him by his expensive lapels, hauling him up. "What did Emma _ever_ do to you?"

The giggle was cut off as David let go of him just long enough to pull his blade back and strike. He'd lost his mind when his son died, or perhaps he had lost it a long time before that and all illusions of sanity had simply been dropped. It was only a matter of time before an evil creature such as the Dark One turned on them. Blue had warned them many times of it over the years and David hadn't listened well enough. Now, as he saw dark eyes go wide in pain, he knew that he'd never be able to hurt them again. The enchantment might not have been enough in the Enchanted Forest, but here it was, and as Rumplestiltskin's knees gave beneath him David knew he was done in for. He'd killed him before he could hurt anyone else, but even his death wouldn't bring Emma home to him.

The scene faded around him and it took a moment for Prince Charming to realize he was staring at the ceiling in his own room from his own bed. Snow shifted sleepily next to him, and he heard Neal stirring in the crib. It was quiet in their full little apartment and he felt his wife touch his arm. "You okay?"

"Yeah," he answered drowsily.

"What's wrong? Did I miss Neal crying?"

"No," David answered softly, trying not to wake their sleeping son. "Just had a dream. It's nothing."

"It didn't sound like nothing," Snow pressed. "You still look a little startled. What was it about?"

He shook his head, shifting so that he could look at her better. Those worried green eyes pierced through the shadows of the room, forcing back even the worst of his fears. "I don't remember," he admitted. "It just sort of slipped away."

"They do that sometimes," she agreed and kissed him. "Let's get some more sleep before he really does wake up."

Her husband smiled and wrapped an arm around her. He couldn't remember the nightmare - in general or in detail - but it left an uncomfortable feeling deep in his chest that spoke of dangers to come. For the first time ever his family was together, whole, and safe, and he wouldn't let anything change that, not while he still lived and breathed.

* * *

><p>TBC<p>

Notes: Thank you all for your lovely reviews!

Next time, in Chapter Four Belle begins her research, Rumple and Henry visit Bae's grave, and Emma has a nightmare she can't quite shake.


	4. Chapter Four

**Chapter Four**

Belle had locked herself away in the library that Rumple had already had in his home long before it had become theirs. It was small compared to the tower he'd given her before the curse, but she was certain most of his and her collections, including his books on magic, had wound up in Storybrooke. For all of his complaints, Rumplestiltskin had kept quite a collection of tomes on magical history, theory, practice, and more. With the new curse, some things had been put back as they'd had them and some had not. Her first day of studying had been more of a scavenger hunt for the materials she needed. She remembered names of books she'd seen, but not always where she'd seen them, so the adventure had begun in the looking. Between their home, the shop, and the library, Belle thought she'd uncovered most of what she needed in the end.

The doorbell rang twice in a row and she stood, nose still buried in a particularly interesting collection of myths about dream meanings and interpretations. She reached for the door handle without bothering to look, blue eyes skimming the words quickly. Belle stepped back, the door opening, but it was as if she'd forgotten that there would be someone on the other side of it and Henry cleared his throat before she looked up, confusion clearly written across her pretty features. "Hello?"

"Hi," her husband's grandson answered with a grin as he stepped inside.

"I just unlocked the door for you," she breathed, the break in reading allowing her to focus in on their young visitor.

"You know, I've heard of sleepwalking, but I think doing things that you don't realize you're doing because you're reading is a whole new thing. You might even get to name that one."

Belle laughed and closed the door. "I've been doing some research for Rumple. Did you know that back in our world there was once a group of people that could actually move within dreams? They could manipulate the very fabric of a person's dream. It's fascinating. There were even whole sects of clerics that were devoted to the art."

"Do you think that's what's happening to Grandpa Gold and me?"

Belle nearly burst into a fit of giggles. She'd never heard the boy refer to him in that way and she'd wager he'd never used the nickname to his grandfather's face. It was cute, though. "No," she said after a moment to regain her composure. There was no reason to make Henry feel silly over it. "I don't think so. These people haven't been seen or documented for centuries, and even then I haven't seen any evidence that they could manipulate a group of people."

"The magic needed would be immense," Rumple's voice sounded from down the hall, not missing a beat in a conversation he hadn't started with. "I doubt it would even be possible in this world. I thought you weren't coming by until later, Henry?"

"Well, I have to be over at Regina's at five."

"What do you two have planned?" Belle asked, glancing towards her love. "More research and brainstorming?"

"We're visiting my dad's grave," Henry answered for him and Belle saw Rumple's expression tighten, that careful mask falling into place so that he wouldn't risk showing the pain even the mention of Bae's name still brought. This was good, though. He'd only been out to the gravesite once and that had been on their way to their honeymoon. She'd watched from the car, heart aching for the man she loved as he said goodbye to his son yet again. There were so many good-byes in his life, so many scars left behind, that she hoped that this Operation Sandman - as Henry called it - would help him focus on those he had left. His grandson had taken a shine to him and they were far more alike than either of them likely realized.

"And where does your mother think you are until five?" Rumple asked as if he knew something that Belle didn't. From the way Henry cringed, apparently he did.

"The arcade?"

"Henry!" Belle admonished and Rumple chuckled. "Why would you need to lie to your mothers?"

"Regina's likely been chirping in Emma's ear," Rumple groused, moving to grab his coat from the hook.

Belle sighed. This again. "Regina's not angry at you, Rumple."

"So you keep saying, but I fear I know her a bit better than you do, my dear." He turned, dark eyes sharp with centuries worth of knowledge. "Regina doesn't trust me. She's perfectly content in her happy little world right now and let her have it as long as she stays the hell away from me."

"Rumple."

"What? She didn't have the spine to return my dagger to me herself. She had to give it to you. She knew _exactly_ what that said when she did it and it was done with full intent."

Belle glanced over to Henry who was looking intently at his shoes as they spoke. "We can talk about all that later. Henry, you should probably let your mother know where you are."

He grinned in response. "I'm with family. It's okay."

Rumple chuckled and patted the boy on the back as he ushered him towards the door. "I'll have him over to Regina's by five and no one will be the wiser."

"That's not the point," she tried to call after him as he and his grinning grandson moved out the front door. Yes, those two were most certainly more alike than they realized, and she thought that if Bae had lived, the three of them together could have caused quite a bit of mischief. With that thought she shook her head and closed the door behind them, returning to her books and her research.

* * *

><p>It was chilly outside but the snow had finally stopped falling. It had left Storybrooke buried beneath the white, fluffy blanket, and it was through that snow that they trudged to the center of the graveyard. There had been few deaths since Storybrooke was formed, but the majority of the graves had come over from the Enchanted Forest. Regina's father's tomb - surprisingly more ornate here than it had been back home - stood in the distance above all the rest. Rumplestiltskin didn't know most of them, nor did he care. His eyes were fixated on a relatively small grave. <em>Beloved Son<em>, it read. His son. His Bae.

"You okay, Grandpa?" Henry asked and he tried for a smile.

"As alright as I ever am with this," he admitted softly. It was dangerous how quickly he was willing to tell the truth with this boy. Dangerous to both himself and Henry. He needed to be careful. The lad had already started lying to his mothers to see him, and if Regina caught wind of that she was likely to start trouble. He'd had experience with people that thought he could potentially cause them harm before and, even though he'd planned it all out, it had still landed him in a rather disgusting cell at the bottom of the old mines. He'd prefer not to have them even attempt such a thing here. Or worse.

"Grandpa?"

Rumplestiltskin pulled himself out of the images that had immediately threatened to drown him and one hand went to the place where Charming's sword ripped through him night after night. He hadn't slept well since his return, but he'd slept even worse this past week. Eventually even he needed rest and it was weighing on him. "I'm sorry, Henry. Just a bit distracted."

"I'm tired too," the boy said as if reading his grandfather's mind. "I'm usually too wound up after I wake up to sleep again."

His grandfather offered a thin smile and they moved closer through the snow and the muck to the small stone marking the grave. _Neal_. The name his son had chosen for himself. Rumplestiltskin felt the world shift under his feet and he gave into it, sinking to the ground. It had been snowing the night that Bae had turned the key to the Vault if the Dark One and cold when Rumplestiltskin had struggled to save him. He'd truly thought he could save his boy. There hadn't been a spell to do what he did, he'd simply willed it. His desperation had fueled the magic to stave off death and had left him more than a little mad with two consciousnesses bouncing around in the same head. For those days, though, those relatively few days in the stretch of three hundred years that he'd searched for him, he and his son had been as close as two people could be. Bae had known that his father loved him before the end, and he loved his father in return.

"I miss him," Henry whispered, kneeling in the snow next to him.

"As do I," Rumplestiltskin murmured. He glanced over at him, eying the muck they were knelt in. "You'll never fool them now with all that snow on your jeans."

"I don't care. I'm not here for them. I'm here for my dad."

They stayed that way for several long minutes, neither saying anything else as they mourned a father and a son. Neither seemed to mind the cold or the wet until Henry gave a small sniffle, trying to hide it. Slowly Rumplestiltskin stood and his grandson followed a moment later.

"Henry?"

Rumplestiltskin knew the voice without having to turn. Henry whirled at the sound of his name, and he stared at the human-sized Blue Fairy with questioning eyes. "Hi, Blue."

Those judgemental eyes flickered to Rumplestiltskin briefly and her lips tugged downward. "Where's your mother this afternoon?"

Henry met her gaze steadily, the initial surprise at the interruption wearing away. "I came with my grandpa."

"I see that," the fairy said tightly and Rumple's eyes narrowed. She'd been the one that ripped his son away from him three centuries before, and that expression she held that afternoon said she was more than willing to pull his grandson away as well. He'd be damned if he let her.

"No harm in visiting a grave of family," Rumplestiltskin answered, his voice low and the unspoken threat was most certainly there. The polite words were for Henry's sake alone. "So unless you have something more, we'd prefer to do so in peace."

Blue stiffened a bit. "If you need anything, Henry, I'm just up the way."

"Okay?" his grandson answered without bothering to hide his confusion. It took the lead fairy a moment more before she turned away and walk slowly away, but when she did the boy turned his gaze back to his grandpa. "What's the matter with her?"

"The same thing that's been wrong with her for centuries," Rumplestiltskin answered with a frown. "She has to be right."

"She's not right about you. Or my mom, either. She thinks you're both evil."

The frown evened out a little. "And you don't?"

"No. You both saved Storybrooke. You saved us from Pan and Mom saved us from Zelena. If that doesn't make you heroes, it definitely doesn't make you villains either."

Rumplestiltskin smiled just a little at the teenage logic. He hardly thought Regina played the part of a hero in the Zelena situation at all, though he supposed that her actions matched well enough with the other heroes of the town. She'd barged in, won the day, and then proceeded to trample over those she didn't believe mattered. She'd been so fixated on what good was suppose to do - laughable, coming from Regina - that she'd utterly destroyed any trust they'd formed up between them. She'd used his dagger on him - well, she thought she had, but he'd always been more clever than those around him and he'd used the distraction of dragging Zelena across the barn floor to the utmost - and then had the gall not to hand it back to him directly. They'd spatted plenty of times over the years, but that had been it. He had forgiven her for making a go at his dagger with her mother pulling her strings, but not this time. Not after what he'd been through. She knew full well how he felt on the subject.

Regardless of how he felt, though, it was between he and Regina. There was no reason to put his grandson in the middle of it. He might know about it, but Belle had been right. It didn't belong around him.

"That and you keep fixing things. You closed Zelena's portal down too."

That brought a small snort from the Dark One. Leave it to Henry to think that had been out of the goodness if his heart. If there was one thing that Rumplestiltskin understood in the worlds it was price. Everything had one. Murder was no exception, and murder by magic often carried a heavier one with it. The price for killing Bae had been Zelena's life. The price for killing Zelena had been loosing her magic to fulfill her last wish. It was his price to pay to close it, but he'd been willing enough to do that for what it had gained him. He just wished Zelena could have seen her hopes crushed a little more.

"Dad would have been proud of you," Henry said, pulling him out of those dark thoughts and the pain of loss spread the ache all over again. It would never go away.

"Not nearly as proud as he would be of you," he returned and ruffled the boy's hair affectionately. Bae knew who he was and by the end there had been no disillusioned either way. His son knew he had every impulse to be a monster and often lost the battle and played that part better than the man he wished that he were. Bae knew and in the end he'd loved him anyway. In the end he used that to at least try to be better. The pain would always be with him, filling the hole that hope had resided in before Bae's death, but he could be better for Henry and for Belle. As they turned to leave he touched his son's headstone and made the silent vow to try.

* * *

><p>Emma was certain that she'd been going over some particularly boring paperwork in her office at the last point she could clearly remember. That made the fact that she found herself standing in the town graveyard a little more disconcerting than it might have been otherwise. She looked around, finding herself alone with the exception of the dead that surrounded her. A spooky feeling sent a chill up her spine that had nothing to do with the weather.<p>

"He really did love you," a familiar lilt reached her ears and the savior spun to find Gold standing there. He wasn't dressed in his expensive suit, but like he had been in Neverland with his high-neck leathers and boots up to his knees. Emma had heard enough whispers around Storybrooke to know that others thought that he was dangerous. She'd always thought he simply had the intimidation game down to an art. Then she'd met him under someone else's control. It had still been an intimidation game, for the most part - with the way Zelena had waved the dagger around for all to see and had him trailing behind her like a reluctant puppy on a leash - but he'd barely shown any effort at all to hold Hook down in the water to drown him or when he'd sent them flying in the barn before Regina had stepped up and surprised everyone with her ability to wield light magic. If he had really been fighting her - and there were some that clearly thought he'd been all too willing to help her - then Emma didn't want to know what he could do when he wanted something.

Gold - Rumplestiltskin - stood next to Neal's grave like he'd been guarding it and that condescending smile he usually wore was nowhere in sight. He looked solemn, like he was coming from the funeral he'd been denied access to when his son had passed. He watched her carefully and there was something stirring in those dark eyes that she really didn't like. He'd always seemed strangely fond of her, so how she knew to be afraid Emma couldn't quite put her finger on. Perhaps it was survival instinct. It made her want to step back, even to run, but she stood there as bravely as she could as the savior of Storybrooke. A savior without magic, that was. She hadn't missed it since Zelena stole it away, not really, but as she found herself alone with a man that might have - if things had gone differently - been her father-in-law, she wished she had something to fight back with. She wasn't even armed.

"I know," she answered him carefully.

"So," Rumplestiltskin continued, never stepping forward, but there was something strange about his eyes, "that does make one question it."

"Question what?"

He didn't have to step, she realized. He flickered out of existence and back in, landing directly in front of her and leaning in. Now she stepped back, but found that there was nowhere to go. An invisible wall kept her from running and the smile that twisted his lips was hardly that. This man was dangerous. There was no question, and if she got out of this alive, she swore never to underestimate him again. "Why you killed him," he breathed the answer to her question.

"I didn't. Zelena did," Emma argued and he tutted.

"Now now, you can't lie to me any better than you can lie to yourself, dearie. It was your magic that tore him away and your magic that left him there to die without any way to help him." His voice was snarling by the end and one thin hand wrapped around her throat, pushing her against the invisible wall.

She struggled, her hands coming up to his wrist, but it didn't budge. He was so much stronger than his slight frame gave away. "I _loved_ him."

"Easily replaced, wasn't he?"

When Cora had tried to take her heart in the Enchanted Forest her magic had stopped the witch from succeeding, but without it the Dark One had no trouble. Emma gave a short cry as his free hand plunged into her chest and tore her beating heart from her. He raised it up for her to inspect and she saw a terrible dark spot that had spread, threads of darkness still reaching around like roots digging into the soil. She blinked at it, a strange sort of terror seeping into the hole left behind.

"You're going to kill me," she whispered and watched as his fingers closed in around her heart.

"Swan?"

Emma jerked awake so violently that she nearly tipped her chair backwards. A hand caught her though and hazel eyes blinked the unexpected sleep away as she stared up at Killian Jones who had a worried looked plastered across his handsome features. "Who's going to kill you?" he asked.

"No one," she breathed, trying to pull herself fully out of the nightmare. She had fallen asleep at her desk. She wasn't standing in the graveyard with one of the Dark One's hands wrapped around her throat and the other holding her heart. She was in the sheriff's station and Gold was off... Somewhere. Not here. Not bringing to light all of her secret guilt and the weight that had pulled at her since Neal's death.

"You said someone was going to kill you," the pirate argued and she glared.

"It was a dream. I assume you have those?"

"Not usually bent over a desk," he snarked and she rolled her eyes.

"So sue me," she grumbled and ignored the look of confusion. She'd hit her quota for the week on idioms explained to out-of-place pirate captains. "Did you need something?"

"Does a man need a reason to visit a pretty lady?"

"Preferably. I have a job to do."

"I can see that. You were drooling all over it."

Emma shot him a nasty glare. She didn't have time - or the patience - to handle him right now. She stood without another word, gathered her papers, and started for the door.

"There was a lady looking for you," Hook called after her and she tried to ignore what sounded like genuine hurt in his voice. "Mother something or the other. She was a fairy in our world."

"Mother Superior?"

"That's the one."

"Did she say what she wanted?"

"Just that if I happened to run into you to let you know she needs to speak to you. She said it was about Henry, so I hurried on over."

"Thanks."

"Swan?" She stopped and turned, trying to ignore the look on his face. "I know we've been doing a bit of a dance around since everything quieted down, but I'd like to take you out as they do in this world. What is it? Usually dinner or a drink or-"

"Are you asking me out on a date?"

"That's it!"

Emma chewed on her bottom lip. "I… I've got to go see what's going on with Henry."

"Not right this moment. Later. Swan, I know you always think that something's going come crashing down around you, but you can't live your life like that."

"It's just too soon, Killian," she murmured as her fingers fussed over the swan pendant around her neck, her other hand lingering on the doorframe. She could turn the corner and be gone, but it wasn't that easy, was it? She liked Hook. If things had happened differently, she might have really fallen for his slightly arrogant charm that covered up his own insecurities in a world that he was completely lost in.

"Come now, we've known each other for quite a while now. What other man have you fought a giant with, hmm?"

"I meant since Neal died."

That quieted him and to his credit he looked a little embarrassed. "Right. Of course. Take the time you need."

"Thank you." Then she was gone, around the corner and down the hall. She couldn't risk him saying anything else because she knew she might fall for it only to feel guilty later. She had other priorities right now, namely one. Henry was the only guy she needed in her life and as long as he was safe and happy, she was happy. She didn't need an angry Gold infiltrating her dreams to remind her that it was her magic - the same magic that still hadn't come back to her - that had paved the way for Neal's eventual death. The very least she could do was to take time to mourn him.

* * *

><p>It was just he and Regina for dinner and she'd gone all out. The loft had descended into baby chaos since Henry's uncle had been born and Mary Margaret had no time to cook. David tried every now and again, but usually it was just easier to either go to Granny's or send someone for takeout. Henry knew from his year in New York that everyone was happier if Emma stayed away from the kitchen for anything beyond the occasional breakfast items.<p>

This wasn't the first time he'd come over of course. Henry bounced between the loft and the house on the hill often enough - nowdays with a stop over at either the pawn shop to his grandpa's three story house he shared with Belle - and usually he shared his adopted mother with Robin Hood. Not that he was complaining. How many thirteen year olds got to hang out with their childhood heroes in the flesh?

Robin and Roland weren't there that evening. Regina had said that she wanted some time with Henry. She'd cooked his favourite meal, he was sure that he saw a chocolate cake in the oven - completely unheard of in his childhood living there - and she'd had a small present waiting for him in the form of some of the latest comics she must have picked up at Mr Clark's. She was either trying to make up for something that Henry didn't even know she'd done yet or was about to try to find something out that she didn't think he would want to share. Either way, her son was into her tricks.

"So," Regina said as she set a piece of chocolate cake down in front of him, "Emma tells me you've been spending some time with Mr Gold?"

There it was. Henry had just shoveled the first bite of cake into his mouth when he looked up to see Regina wearing that all-too-sweet smile she did when she was trying to get information. He knew that look. It didn't work on him, and as he saw the smile slowly fade, he knew she'd figured that out too. Well, as long as they were on the same page at least she wouldn't try to manipulate him.

Henry swallowed the cake. "He's my grandpa. Of course I've been spending time with him."

Regina pulled in a deep breath, lacing her fingers together to rest against the small frown that was forming. "Henry, I know how important family is to you, and I know you want to make sure you don't miss anything-"

"Exactly. If I'd had my memories, at least I could have said goodbye to my dad. I didn't even get that, so I'm not going to risk losing anyone else."

His mother's frown deepened just a little. "Sweetie, nothing is going to happen to Mr Gold."

"You don't know that. Look what happened with Zelena. She got his dagger and-"

"Honey, Zelena was never going to hurt him with it. She wanted to control him and she couldn't have done that if he was dead."

"But she _did_ hurt him!" The statement was out in the open before he'd thought it through. It wasn't like he knew anything for sure. Grandpa Gold played everything so close that even with ultra specific questions he often found a way around the ones he didn't want to answer. He'd spent enough time near him recently - even with Emma's discomfort in it - to see a bunch of little signs that made him think that something more had happened than he was comfortable in letting anyone know. He was tired, of course, as they both were, but the Mr Gold that Henry had known growing up was composed in any situation. Now Belle always announced her present before touching him from behind and he had heard them speak lowly once or twice, Zelena's name one of the only clear whispers to be heard. There was nothing to say that the Wicked Witch had physically injured his grandfather, but if anyone could, it was someone with his dagger.

"Did he say something to you about it?" Regina asked carefully.

Henry grimaced. "Not _exactly_. I can just tell." It sounded a little silly now that he was saying it out loud. His grandfather was the immortal Dark One.

She pulled in a deep breath. "Trust me, Henry, if your grandfather was hurt, none of us would be any wiser to it," she said as she sat back in her chair. "But I can tell you from experience that it's nearly impossible to hurt him. His magic heals him quicker than a wound can form."

"Why are you and Emma so convinced I shouldn't be around him?"

Regina was tiptoeing around the subject to the point that it was obvious. Henry watched her carefully, not willing to let her slip around it. She and Emma were both against it and he wanted to know why. He trusted them, but he also trusted his grandfather, and Grandpa Gold _needed_ him then. It was going to take both if them for Operation Sandman.

"We just know how manipulative he can be when he wants something, Henry."

"So can you, but I don't love you any less," her son pointed out bluntly and she blinked at him.

"I'm trying to be better."

"And Grandpa isn't? You wouldn't know. You haven't given him the chance. He _died_ to save us and then was handed off to Zelena. People change, Mom. You did."

Regina sat very still, studying him carefully. She couldn't hide what she'd done from him. He'd seen it, he'd lived it, and what he hadn't he had read the documented accounts of the evil she'd been a part of. His mother had been the Evil Queen, hated by all and feared by most. Even so, she had also been the one to stop Zelena using light magic when Emma could not. She'd changed for him so that she could strive to be the mother that he needed. If anyone should understand how a person could change, it was Regina.

"That doesn't give you permission to lie to us though," she said slowly, as if she were trying to find a more gentle approach to it. He knew he'd struck a nerve when he'd pointed out her own past, but to her credit his mother was holding her temper very well in check. They were discussing, not berating, and with that they might actually get somewhere even if it was a subject he'd rather not broach. "Emma called. Apparently you weren't at the arcade afterall."

"We wanted to visit my dad's grave together. We miss him," Henry answered honestly.

"You should have told us."

Henry set his fork down. It wasn't like he was eating anyway. "And you would have said no."

Regina pursed her lips. "Sometimes I forget how much you grew up in the year you were away. I'll tell you what, if you'll promise to be honest with me, I promise that we'll discuss the outcome before decisions are made, okay?"

The teen grinned widely. "Okay," he agreed. "I think I can do that."

His mother smiled. "Anything else you want to add then? Maybe what you and your grandfather have been sneaking around for?"

She knew something was going on, just not what. Henry was well aware that his mother and grandfather were at odds these days and he assumed it had something to do with the whole Zelena and dagger situation. Grandpa Gold had always stopped before saying too much, and Regina certainly wasn't going to divulge anything if she knew, but she _was_ his mother and she _was_ talented in using magic, so maybe she could help. His grandpa would understand in the end. He'd made a deal with her and he needed to uphold his end.

Henry dove into the dreams with details that made his mother cringe. He explained how they'd been keeping him awake and he'd has his grandfather about them only to find out that they'd been sharing the same dream. They'd been looking for answers together so that they could find out who was at the bottom of all of this and what they really wanted. The more he talked, the easier it became to talk about and Regina merely sat and listened. She nodded, keen dark eyes focused on him and a careful smile on her lips. When he finished she stood, rounding the table and Henry was barely on his feet before she pulled him into a full hug, kissing the top of his head. "I wish you'd come to me first."

"I didn't want to worry you. You know how you get."

Regina snorted and tightened her grip. "I'm still your mother, young man," she admonished, though she hardly sounded angry. "I just want you to be safe."

"Grandpa Gold and I are getting closer and closer to it, I know we are. Maybe when we find who's doing it you can help us beat them and you two can be friends again?"

His mother snorted a laugh. "_Friends_ has always been a bit of a stretch for Rumple and I, but if he's being honest about wanting to be there for you… Well, I suppose we'll have to deal with each other, won't we?"

"Yep."

She smiled and kissed him again before sitting back down. They finished their cake, the conversation changing around to school, friends, and subjects that had nothing to do with nightmares and death. Laughter filled the home he'd grown up in and it seemed to stretch out like a protection spell that wrapped its way through the halls and refused to let any danger in through its woven threads. The nightmares would likely wake him as they did most every night, but his mom would be just a couple rooms away and she knew about everything. Henry hadn't realized just how heavy the weight of secrecy had been on him. Regina knew now and she wasn't angry. She might even help. Things were looking up, and if they continued that way Belle might have even found a lead on the spell that whoever was causing this was using. They could handle the threat and maybe then he could enjoy this crazy little family that fate had handed him without fear of losing them all to it.

* * *

><p>He was running. It was a little different this time. He'd been able to get to his feet after (somewhat) dodging Snow White's arrow. It had left his shoulder bloody and his arm useless, but at least it hadn't buried itself deep in his back this time.<p>

Rumplestiltskin stumbled around a corner and into an ally. He couldn't teleport. He wasn't sure why, but that was something he'd discovered fairly early on in the repetitive nightmares. He was left to run for his life like anyone else, with only the barest reach for his own magic. It wouldn't come readily to his call and he hadn't quite found out why. It could have been another trick to the spell that he was under or just the utter exhaustion. Either way, it was slow to his call.

He pulled on that thin thread now, feeling it move sluggishly through his fingers. Part of him thought he should just give in. It was a dream, afterall, and the pain would fade as he woke. Let David's blade rip his all-too-human body apart and he'd wake up next to Belle. She would wrap her arms around him and he could try for something akin to sleep while curled into her. He could pretend to be safe. The other part of him - the part he'd grown to listen to over his centuries as the Dark One - reminded him that these dreams had a purpose. If they were to come true, he needed his escape route planned. He wouldn't just lie down and die in reality. He wouldn't do it here.

Magic tried weakly to pull flesh and muscle back together from where the arrow had ripped it apart. Rumplestiltskin closed his eyes against the pain and he leaned back against the brick wall of the store backed up to the alley. He could feel the ache of exhaustion even while within the nightmare and it made him want to give up. Perhaps just this once. It was only a dream...

"Papa?"

Rumplestiltskin's eyes flew open at the familiar voice and he saw him standing in the alleyway with him. His son. His precious boy. He pushed himself from the wall with wide eyes fixated on him. "Bae?"

A smile pulled at his son's lips and he reached forward as if to take his hand and his lips moved as if he might be ready to say something, but just as quickly as he was there he was gone again, the illusion scattering into the air as a sword plunged through it, held by a prince filled with all the fury in the worlds aimed at his daughter's supposed murderer. Rumplestiltskin steeled himself as David's blade bit through him, slamming him hard against the outer wall he'd been leaning against. He didn't even bother to deny the accusations this time. What was the point? Charming would kill him anyway. He did every time.

* * *

><p>TBC<p>

Notes: Well this chapter just kept going and going, and then FFN gave me all kinds of trouble uploading it :(

Well, hopefully, if things go as I expect this week, it may be a three updates kind of week. It's crazy logic, but I'm a creature of habit and I always try to edit down the chapter and get it ready to post first thing the next morning. I'll be busy Wednesday night, so I doubt I'll have time to do that. My solution? Update three times this week. I swear it makes sense in my head :P

Next time - Rumple receives more guests than he'd prefer in the shop and Belle comes across a few men very interested in what she's carrying in her purse.


	5. Chapter Five

**Chapter five**

Rumplestiltskin was at his shop before the sun rose the next morning. Belle had offered to go with him, but he knew well enough that she could turn over and go back to sleep while he could not and had encouraged her to do so. There was no need for both of them to be up because of this.

He had told Henry once that once one controlled the dream there was nothing to fear, but he was yet to find a way to control these. Every turn he took in them ended in his rather brutal demise. His first thought had been that perhaps they were being pulled to some sort of realm, much like the Netherworld. It would explain why he and Henry were seeing the same scenarios, but the more he and Belle looked into it, the more he was inclined to think it was a spell of some fashion. Belle had uncovered several that had elements attached to the situation, but nothing matched perfectly. There was a possibility of a conglomeration of spells, but that would take a sorcerer of immense talent and Rumplestiltskin was fairly certain he would have recognized that. Well, as certain as he was of anything anymore.

He loosed a long breath as he switched the magnifying glass into place so that he could see the small piece he was tinkering with. The bell chimed over the door as it opened, but he didn't dare risk a look just yet. His mind worked well with his hands moving, but he still needed his eyes on it. He ignored his early customer until she cleared her throat, obviously not interested in waiting any longer.

Dark eyes flickered up and he found a pair of hazel ones staring back at him. Storybrooke's very own savior stood in the center of his showroom with her arms crossed and dark circles under her eyes. "Miss Swan. What can I do for you?" Rumplestiltskin asked in a tone that clearly said he didn't really care what she wanted. If she was there as a followup to the break in a couple of weeks prior, he thought she was a bit behind on her job, not that he wanted her poking around his life.

"You and I need to have a talk, Gold."

That never boded well. "About what, dear?"

"You know what."

He set his tools down. So much of having time to think. "I'm afraid I can't possibly imagine what could be so important at-" he looked at the clock "- not yet six in the morning."

"Henry," she stated definitely and took a step forward.

For a brief flicker of a moment Rumplestiltskin nearly retreated just as far, the latest nightmare welling up in his mind. What if this was how it began? What if she left here and some terrible fate befell her, leaving him as the last one to see her alive? Not for the first time since this had begun he reached for the future, finding the scattered pieces of the puzzle sharp as broken glass and he immediately let them go, a headache working its way in. "What of him?" he asked in a strained voice.

"He's sneaking out of the apartment in the middle of the night, lying to Regina and me to hang out with you, and who knows what else! What is going on?"

"Nothing so scandalous as you seem to think," Rumplestiltskin answered. "My son is gone, Miss Swan, as you are well aware. I thought it past time to form up a relationship with my grandson. Is that wrong?"

The blonde huffed, shoulders slumping and while she didn't seem to want to give into obvious logic, it was there and staring her in the face. She looked as tired as Rumplestiltskin felt and he thought he'd seen quite a few tired faces recently. Perhaps Henry had been wrong and they weren't the only ones dreaming these dreams.

"What were you expecting to hear?" he asked reasonably, reaching for a rag to wipe the grease from his fingers.

"I don't know," she answered softly. "You never took any interest in him when Neal was alive."

"I took a great deal of interest in him. I went to Neverland fully intending to exchange my life for his."

Emma chewed at her bottom lip.

"And then I _did_ die to make sure he and the rest of you were safe. How easily these sorts of events are overlooked by you lot. If that's all you have, Miss Swan, I'd appreciate it if you'd leave me to my work."

"Do you blame me?"

Her question was so sudden that it almost startled him. Rumplestiltskin's dark eyes flickered up and he found a woman that was desperately trying to cover her own fears standing there. "Your family has had the uncanny ability to overlook all the help I've provided to them when it suits long before you came along," he said carefully, but something in him knew that wasn't her question.

"For Neal."

"Why would I? Zelena was responsible for my son's death."

"But it was my magic that pulled him out. If I hadn't, he might have lived. You might have been able to... I don't know. Save him, maybe?"

He shifted his weight and leaned against the counter. He was far too exhausted for this conversation and all that it implied. She was waiting on him, though, and he was expected to speak. Every time words rattled in his mind they sounded superficial and insignificant. He'd focused his anger in on Zelena. Bae had asked Emma to separate them and the girl was so inexperienced in using her powers that she had done it on instinct. He'd never allowed himself to contemplate what could have happened had she waited or if she'd known how to take a different path in it.

"Perhaps," he said slowly. "There's no way to know now."

"But you don't blame me for his death?"

"Where is all of this coming from?"

She shrank back at that one and looked like she didn't want to answer. He sighed, hand growing to the bridge of his nose and he tried to will away the headache forming. This conversation needed to end and the only way to do that would be to offer reassurances. "Miss Swan, my son loved you, regardless of how you felt in return."

"I-"

He held up a hand. "That was between the two of you. I'd rather not know the details, if you please. You were my son's love and you are my grandson's mother. You are family, Miss Swan. Zelena was to blame, not you."

She loosed a long breath, looking like a weight was at least working its way from her shoulders. An awkward silence threatened the little shop, but thankfully she simply nodded and mumbled an unnecessary _thanks_ before turning and leaving Rumplestiltskin to his thoughts.

* * *

><p>She stood alone on the Main Street. There was something wrong, but she couldn't quite remember what it was. It was a little like the haze of the curse that she had lived in before Jefferson had freed her from her prison below the hospital and sent her to Rumple. Her memories of how she'd arrived were hazy, as were the reasons on why she'd be there in the first place.<p>

"Belle, what are you waiting for?" Henry demanded, his hand clamping down on her wrist and he was dragging her along the street. "We've got to stop them!"

"Stop them?" Belle echoed.

"From hurting him. Or worse. Gramps thinks Grandpa Gold killed my mom."

The teen pulled her along and she tried to remember. They'd been researching something having to do with this, but her mind was blanking on the details.

Shouts became clearer as they moved closer to where a mob of people had gathered on the street. Henry started trying to push past them, Belle following. She hated the feeling of forgetting.

"Let us through!" Henry yelled and he still hadn't let go of her hand. "You've got to stop!"

A man that Belle didn't recognize stepped in, blocking the opening the teen had been diving for. "You're not going to want to watch this," he said and Belle managed to slip by.

She could see David just ahead and her feet carried her after him, an urgency pushing her forward. He was rounding a corner into an alley, sword drawn and anger twisting his face in such a way that it hardly looked like him. Rumplestiltskin was leaned up against the wall in the alleyway, staring at the blond prince with a resigned sort of look. His name bubbled in her throat, but was cut off when it felt like all the air had been pushed out of her at once. David lunged forward and Rumple didn't move out of the way as the sword ripped through him.

Belle's scream finally made it into the open as her True Love crumbled to the ground, David stepping back. She was on her knees next to him before she realized she moving, her hands moving uselessly to try to stop the flow of blood from the wound. He looked up, his gaze already fading and his lips barely moved to speak, though no words made it out. He went limp then and Belle felt a sob bubbling up as she turned accusing eyes on her husband's killer. "How could you?"

"He went too far. It had to be done, Belle," David answered softly. "He had to be stopped."

"Stopped from what?" she demanded, but everything was fading around her. She felt like she was falling, but just as quickly she felt something steady under her, keeping her afloat. She blinked her eyes open, finding her surroundings very different than they had been just a moment before. She was in her room, curled up and hugging a pillow in her own bed, and tears still leaking from her eyes. She lifted her hands, finding them clean and clear of the blood that she'd been so sure Rumple had shed, and slowly she understood what had happened. It was the dream. The same nightmare that woke him night after night. If she'd had it before now, she hadn't remembered it, but this one stood out starkly against any other fading dreams from the night. It made her feel ill even as she clutched the pillow in her arms tightly and pulled in what she hoped were steadying breaths. Finally, she reached for the phone next to the bed.

The clock there read ten in the morning. She'd turned over and gone back to sleep after Rumple had left for the shop, unaware of just how exhausted she was from rising with him every time the dreams left him shaking. It was her fingers that trembled now as she found his name at the top of her call list and pressed it, the ringing filling to room as she put it on speaker. "Good morning," he answered, his voice almost cheerful. It had been some hours since he'd seen what she had.

"Rumple," Belle breathed, but that was as far as she got before the sob took over.

"Sweetheart, what is it?"

"I had... I think I had a nightmare like you and Henry have been having." She felt a complete fool for calling him like this. She should have waited until she had herself under control, but she'd needed to hear his voice so badly. She'd needed to know he was alive. She had lost him to death once before and she wasn't willing to do so again.

"Belle," he murmured into the phone and she could hear all the hurt on his voice that she felt. "Give me just a moment to put things away and I'll come home."

"No, you don't need to do that," she said quickly. He'd been balancing this for nearly two solid weeks now. "I think I'm going to do some research while it's fresh on my mind. Perhaps I'll find something new. I just... needed to hear your voice."

"Any time you need to," he promised. "Perhaps we can go out for lunch today?"

She smiled. Her husband knew her well. "That sounds perfect. I'll give you a call when I'm on my way. If you don't hear from me..."

Rumple chuckled. "I know how wrapped up you can get in your studies. I'll give you a call in a few bourse if I don't hear from you."

"I love you," she whispered and she needed him to know it. The nightmare had felt so real, as if he might be stolen from her again.

"And I you," he assured her. "I'll see you in a bit."

"In a bit," she agreed and clicked the phone shut. She couldn't do anything by sitting around and worrying. Belle wouldn't let me go again, so it was time to buckle down and find exactly what this threat was. She was determined, and nothing in the worlds could stop her when she was determined.

* * *

><p>It hadn't been a particularly slow day, as days at the pawnshop in Storybrooke went. According to Belle, people hadn't just flooded the shop when they'd first been put back down in the Land Without Magic as they had when their memories came back under the first curse. They'd been too busy pointing fingers and trying to find out where their last year had gone, from what he understood, to ransack the shop that seemed to accumulate various items with each new curse. Once they had their memories back and the Wicked Witch had been deal with, they'd been unable to enter the shop as Rumplestiltskin had decided that he and Belle were beyond overdue for time alone. They'd spent just shy of three weeks at his - <em>their<em> - cabin away from everyone for their honeymoon.

Today seemed to be the day that the citizens started trickling in, making claims and demands to the point that he thought he might have trouble getting away from them to go to lunch when Belle finally did decide to call. He didn't have to throw them all out, though, as he thought he might. Regina and her simmering rage did that. It filled the air as she entered, interrupting the first conversation with a customer that day that he hadn't minded. Marco froze where he and Rumplestiltskin had been discussing the price of an old clock that he'd once made, sold, and had somehow shown up in the shop this round of curse-casting. Regina's voice was icy cold as she bit out, "You're done," to the poor woodworker and sent him on his way.

Rumplestiltskin leveled a glare. "This _is_ a place of business, dearie."

"Good, because I have business to discuss with you. Namely the little fact that you've put my son in danger." The bell rang as one poor soul tried to enter. "He's closed," she snarled, sending the young woman skittering out.

Her former teacher snorted. "What is it with the two of you today coming into my shop and tossing about absurd accusations? Henry is perfectly safe when he's with me. Likely more so than when he's not."

"Really? So you know exactly what you're dealing with in this _Operation Sandman_?"

The shop owner moved around the counter slowly. He could feel her eyes on him but he didn't hurry his movements as he checked to make sure they were alone and switched the sign over to closed, locking the door for good measure. Henry and he had agreed to keep this quiet. Regina would blow it out of proportion, they both knew, but it seemed that something had caused him to cave to her. Sometimes it was difficult to remember that his clever grandson was an exhausted little boy that had expected answers and still had received nothing for all the faith he'd put into his grandfather.

That didn't mean he wanted Regina anywhere near it. Or him, for that matter.

"Henry's name for it, yes," he said once the lock was in place and he'd turned back to her. "It's under control."

"Is it? Because from what I gather someone's still out there that is able to control dreams well enough to pinpoint people to cast the spell on. That's some heavy magic and-"

"And it's _under control_," Rumplestiltskin growled, eyes flashing dangerously and he was secretly pleased to see Regina flinch just a little.

She snorted, regaining her regal composure. "Listen, I know that you're still a little miffed over the fact that I told you that killing Zelena would be a mistake-"

The Dark One whirled on her and she went stiff in effort not to take a physical step back from him even though he hadn't moved any closer. "Is that what you think I'm angry over? Zelena got hers in the end - and she deserved that end - but you should have known better than to hold my dagger hostage just so the others would think you'd succeeded in playing hero for a day."

"Playing… How dare you? I didn't hold anything hostage. I gave it to Belle that same day."

"You should have given it to _me_, you spoiled child." He was in her face now, but when he'd crossed the room he couldn't be sure. Anger that he'd pushed down over and over again was boiling up and it took everything he had to catch ahold of it before his curse turned it to damage-inflicting magic. "Giving it to Belle was the coward's way, and you know it."

"We discussed it, and the general consensus was-"

"_General consensus_!" he barked. "What was it, dear? That I can't be trusted? That someone needs to keep a leash on me? Be careful, Regina, there are still many things that Snow and her charming prince don't know that you did over our time here during your curse. If they were to find out, if someone were to tell them, it'd be a short trip to put you on a leash of your very own."

"Is that a threat, Rumple?" the Evil Queen demanded, pulling herself up to her full height.

"An observation. Be careful who you crawl in bed with, dearie. They're a fickle lot, your heroes."

"I've changed and they can see that," Regina said, her voice quivering a little and he could tell she wanted to yell and scream back. Let her. Let them burn the whole damn town down between them. This needed to be out in the open before the real danger finally showed its face. "You, on the other hand, never can as long as you are under your curse. _That_ was why we decided to give the dagger to Belle. She didn't sell her soul to a demon for power."

"I sold my soul to protect my son. It's nothing you wouldn't have done for Henry."

"Well your son's dead and look what you're left with."

She knew what she'd said as soon as the words left her and her eyes went wide. Regina's mouth dropped open and the apology that tried to tumble from her lips was so stuttering that it hardly sounded like words. "Just get out," Rumplestiltskin breathed.

"That's not what I meant," she managed somewhat coherently.

He was shaking with the effort. His curse was screaming at him to take her head off - literally - and shatter her. How dare she come to his place of business and drag him into this? But this was Henry's mother, adopted or not, and his grandson would never forgive him. That was the only thing keeping her alive in that moment, but he needed her gone or she wouldn't be alive much longer. "I said get _out_."

This time she complied, scrambling for the door and she left him standing in the middle of his shop with his grief and his anger and his pain that threatened to overwhelm him. Perhaps he was just the monster that her newfound friends saw him as - a creature that needed to be leashed for everyone's safety - but she'd been wrong about him choosing to go against his curse. He'd done it once before and he'd died in doing so. It was a little fact that seemed so easily forgotten in the midst of everything else. Even in the pit that had been the depths of the Dark One's Vault, he'd known that his family was safe, and in knowing that, death had been better.

* * *

><p>Belle had finally pulled herself from her studies when she realized it was nearly one in the afternoon. Lunchtime was quickly passing her by, and it wasn't every day that Rumple was willing to go over to Granny's for lunch. From the noise in the background when she'd called, it had sounded like there were several people in the shop, but he'd promised to get away as quickly as he could. That would leave her time to walk the few blocks between their home and Granny's and likely still beat him there.<p>

That had been the plan, anyway. Belle turned from where she'd locked the house - a silly habit, really, as his wards stretched down to the bottom step - and she felt a chill race up her spine that had nothing to do with the colder temperatures. She glanced around, trying to find the source of her discomfort, but found that she was utterly alone even as she walked down to the sidewalk.

The sun was peeking through the clouds overhead and it was warming the winter afternoon up at least a little. Belle pulled her coat a little closer as a breeze tried to prove the thought wrong and she stopped, certain that someone was watching her. She turned, ready to catch them in it, but once again found no one. Apparently the nightmare had spooked her more than she had realized.

She was into town when she first spotted him. He was tall and possibly lean, but it was always difficult to tell with the way people bundled in this weather. His clothes seemed a bit old fashion, but that wasn't out of place in Storybrooke where people from an entirely different time and place had been set down and expected to blend. If he hadn't been along for the last trip he was likely more lost than most. He wore a hat, something like a fedora, and Belle decided that was what gave him an old-timey, stepped-out-of-a-black-and-white-picture sort of look. She didn't know when he'd come to join her on the streets - the lunch crowd had passed and it was a work day, though that hardly meant anything with any consistency in Storybrooke - but when she sped up he quickened his pace and when she slowed down, his pace eased just a little. He was inching closer and closer, though not in a way that most people would notice. It wasn't until she took a corner quickly and found that he did as well that she was certain she was being followed.

He must have noticed the change as well. Her stalker sped up and Belle found herself beginning to jog to stay ahead. She rounded another corner and then immediately ducked around another and into an alleyway, flattening herself against the brick wall to let him pass by. Her mind whirled, trying to push out the terrifying nightmare from earlier and she waited, keeping her breathing as steady and quiet as possible. A few moments ticked by and nothing happened. She breathed a sigh of relief, pushing herself from the wall and ready to go straight to the shop. The back door was just up the alley and Rumple had fixed it so that she could get in even if she didn't have a key. The wards would keep her safe and if he wasn't there still she could call him and he'd come over. It seemed silly, but if her strange shadow had anything to do with the nightmares - and Belle was not a strong believer in coincidences of that nature - then it was best that she and her love face it together.

"Excuse me."

Belle whirled, startled by the voice and she saw a man blocking her path. It wasn't the same one from before, but he was dressed similarly as her mysterious stalker had been and he tipped his hat, his eyes focused in on her with such intensity that she had to focus on standing tall against the gaze. "I'm sorry, but I'm in a bit of a rush," she tried.

"Off to meet the Dark One?" That had been a new voice, belonging to yet another unfamiliar face. This one was accompanied by the man that had been following her. As he removed his hat, tilting his head just a little to the side to study her, she was quite certain he, at least, looked vaguely familiar.

"We don't wish you any harm," he told her, stepping forward and his voice was soft. "We wish to relieve the burden you carry."

"What burden?" Belle asked and one of them stepped a little closer than she was comfortable with. "Who are you?"

"I am Caiden and these are my brothers. You carry a heavy burden with you. We can help free you from it."

Belle let out a small sound of surprise as she bumped into one of the strange men and he reached for her purse. She caught hold of it as he pulled, not willing to let it go so easily. They were common thieves.

Well, that wasn't quite right, she found out quickly as a gust of magic took her off her feet. Belle slammed back into the brick wall and saw stars. She stayed on her feet, though, and blinked until her vision cleared. "I'll give you one warning. Give me back my purse and let me pass."

The third man chuckled. "She has spirit, Cai."

"We're not here for her. Only the knife."

Belle's eyes widened as they pulled the dagger from her purse and fear welled up within her. She'd told him she didn't want to carry it around like this.

"Brother," the man who'd snatched her purse called, gaining Caiden's attention. "This isn't the Kris Dagger. It's a fake."

Belle stood wide-eyed, the words bouncing around in her head for a moment before they finally made sense. A fake. Rumple had given her a fake dagger.

"Where is the real one, girl?" one of the brothers snarled, but it was Caiden that stepped forward, pinning her to the wall.

"Tell us and we will do everything in our power to free you."

"I'm not a prisoner," Belle growled, forcing down the anger and the hurt at the realization. He'd lied to her. Again. He hadn't trusted her or in their love. Again and again he made the wrong choices and this time it was costing them dearly. No, she reminded herself sharply. That could be dealt with later. This had to be handled now. "I'm no one's prisoner. I choose to be with Rumplestiltskin. I love him, and my love isn't so easily swayed." She slammed her heel against his foot, causing him to jerk back enough for her to take off down the alley.

She didn't get very far as a hand grabbed the back of her coat, hauling her back towards them. "Stupid, bitch. Little good protecting that demon will do you."

Magic stirred and Belle thought for a moment that it was the three men, but she heard a voice that she would have known anywhere. He'd heard her call his name, and her love had come for her. In that moment everything else could wait.

* * *

><p>TBC<p>

Notes: Has anyone else been having trouble with uploading new chapters? I copy and paste from GoogleDocs, but the last couple of times I've had to paste over an old document here in FFN just to get it to take. It's a bit irritating, but I'm trying to find out if it's the site or something else.

Next time - The truth about the dagger is revealed.


	6. Chapter Six

**Chapter Six**

If there were anyone in all the realms that could have summoned him by name, it was his Belle. He would have heard it no matter what was happening, and he went to her instantly.

Rumplestiltskin stood, magic having deposited him there suddenly, at the end of the alley, his eyes dark and dangerous. Anger boiled up within him and his curse raged. He'd been furious with Regina after their talk and had had no outlet to release it if he didn't want to devastate his grandson by ending his mother's life. He hadn't missed the irony that it would have been a different mother than the dreams had indicated. He'd held tight to his temper, though, and it had saved her. It wouldn't save these men that were foolish enough to attack Belle. "Let go of my wife. _Now_," he snarled as the winds picked up.

A tall man dressed in a long coat stepped forward, the brim of his hat shadowing his pale eyes. He reached up and removed the hat, revealing a young face full of curiosity as he did. "The Dark One," he breathed, and Rumplestiltskin had heard that tone before. He'd dealt with plenty of knights and hunters and everything if every sort over the many years of his life, and they all thought that _they_ would be the one to kill the Dark One. It was silly, and often he tired of the game quickly. No one had approached him in such a way in nearly a century though, and from this young man's expression, he'd been waiting most of his life to do do. He'd probably been raised for it, trained for it, and thought that the safety of all the worlds depended on him in just that moment.

The problem was that Rumplestiltskin didn't care. Belle was being threatened and he had no qualms with neutralising that threat. "I'm not going to repeat myself, dearie."

"We're not here for her. Just for you."

"And you won't have either today."

Pale eyes narrowed. "That's where you're wrong."

He wasn't without magic and it leapt to his call, sizzling through the chilled air. Rumplestiltskin wasn't pleased that Belle was in danger, but he couldn't help but be at least a little interested to see where this led. He recognized the magic as soon as it came into being and a smirk touched his lips. "You broke into my shop a couple weeks back."

A slow smile met his own. "You've hidden the dagger well." He glanced behind him to the man that was holding Belle. "Don't hurt her, Soren, but keep her out of the way. This is between the Dark One and myself."

"Caiden-"

"Do as I say," Caiden answered firmly and turned his attention back to Rumplestiltskin. "Now it's just us."

"As well it should be," the Dark One answered and he pulled power to himself. His curse needed an outlet for the pent up rage and this fool had provided it. The magic was dark and nasty, curses of his own design that the Land Without Magic had never seen the likes of. They came to his call with little thought to the matter, Soren's grip on Belle and Regina's earlier words only fuelling it to the point that he barely saw his opponent through the rage.

Caiden fought back with light magic, though it was sharper than any Rumplestiltskin had ever encountered before. It bit through his shields with a great deal of strength to back it, but if it came down to a power battle, there was no contest.

Rumplestiltskin sealed the breaks in his own defences - this land really did make one careless - and vanished, reappearing in a swirl of smoke and he reached forward, ready to end it without any further trouble. Caiden slammed up against the wall, a hand through his chest, but as Rumplestiltskin pulled he found a spell woven tightly in light magic that even he couldn't undo it that quickly. He yanked his hand back, free of the heart he'd been aiming for, and a low chuckle escaped him. "Well played, but I can still snap your neck easily enough."

"I wouldn't," Soren called from behind him and he risked a glance to find the man holding Belle with the dagger to her throat. It might have been useless for controlling him, but it was sharp and could cut through flesh rather nicely.

Rumplestiltskin didn't stop to think about the fact that the man held it and that going against him might tip his hand before he was ready. Belle was in danger and that was all that mattered. He moved quicker than Soren could follow, flashing out and then back in before anyone could blink, much less move. A freezing spell held the other two well enough in place, and there was no time for theatrics as his hand clamped down on his love's attacker and his magic pulled Belle safely away. Somewhere in there the dagger must have dropped as well because he was empty handed when Rumplestiltskin slammed him into the wall of the alley. His head collided with the brick with a sickening crack and Soren slumped in his grasp, dazed at the very least.

"That mistake will cost you your life, dearie," he growled dangerously, dark magic so thick that it would have been visible to anyone passing by. It swirled around the unfortunate attacker and he started to choke as the visible darkness worked its way through him.

"Rumple!" Belle cried out, but the briefest of glances said she was not in any danger, so he kept his focus on the dying man in front of him. His eyes were rolled back and he convulsed, held up only by the curse running through him.

"Rumple, stop! You're killing him!"

"I'm well aware," he snapped and the magic surged, snuffing Soren's life out, and he fell to the ground dead. All at once the Dark One's curse quieted its raging demands for blood in Rumplestiltskin's mind. Exhaustion made it more difficult to fight, and that coupled with the other events if the day had made it a battle he hadn't had much hope in winning. Now he felt an emptiness spread where the darkness had raced through him and his shoulders slumped as he turned around to face what he was certain would be a very unhappy wife.

Belle was indeed unhappy, but that empty feeling left over from giving into his curse immediately turned to fear sinking deep into his gut as he saw the dagger clutched in her hand and a look of utter betrayal in her face. She'd commanded him to stop and he'd blown right through it. She knew. Belle knew.

Distraction allowed Caiden and his remaining cohort to disappear, but that didn't matter. Belle's stiff stance and the angry tears in her eyes were all that mattered. He couldn't find his voice, yet he knew he needed to. He had to tell her _something_ plausible.

"They said it was a fake," she whispered, her voice nearly drowned out by the pounding footsteps of snooping Storybrooke citizens. "I thought they were lying, because if they weren't, that would mean you were."

"Belle, let me explain," he tried, taking a step closer and the hurt rolled off of her in waves. Betrayal. Anger. Pain. He knew it all, and he'd caused it.

"What the hell happened?" David demanded, rounding the corner into the alley.

"You better damn well tell me the truth, Rumplestiltskin," his wife growled with more fury than he'd ever witnessed from her. "Was I a distraction? Was I the bait to lure out the next person that would steal it from you?"

Rumplestiltskin felt the panic rising. "No, no. Of course not, Belle," he managed and reached out for her.

She pulled away. "Then what?"

"What happened here?" David demanded, now squatted down next to the body that was crumpled against the wall, eyes staring lifelessly ahead and limbs bent in awkward directions. "Gold, did you-?"

The shop owner ignored him completely, his focus entirely on his wife. He opened his mouth and closed it again several times, a lie, a partial truth, and so many variations in between stopping and starting in fits.

"Did you begin our marriage on a lie?" she demanded pointedly and there was no room to move. He had to tell her now.

"Yes." The word was so small and so quiet that it was barely heard. The slap that hit him with such force that it snapped his head around to the side, on the other hand, was not so quiet. It resounded through the alleyway and finally quieted the murmurs that surrounded a dead body and the Dark One.

She stormed off without another word, the fake knife clattering to the ground where she threw it and his love was gone and out of sight, leaving him alone with the accusations of the townspeople and their prince.

David looked as exhausted as Emma had that morning when she'd visited Rumplestiltskin's shop, and he stepped up, he didn't look ready to cut any slack for the painful scene that had just played out. He reached forward and took hold of Rumple's shoulder when closing the distance between them didn't gain his attention. "Hey, this is serious. Who the hell was that man? What happened here?"

Rumplestiltskin instantly pulled away, the strong hold reminding him too closely of the nightmares. "I don't know who he was, but I have every intention of finding out."

"Just like the break in?" Emma's voice drifted around the corner and she stood with her hands on her hips. "Murder's kind of a big thing here, Gold."

"And what are you going to do?" he demanded roughly. "Arrest me?"

"Yeah, that's typically what comes next," the blonde woman answered.

David reached for him again and Rumplestiltskin was gone, magic pulling him away before the prince could take hold of him. He landed in the living room of his house, the teleportation rocky. He'd begun the day exhausted and his magic needed to pull more from him directly in this world than it did in the Enchanted Forest. The outburst of power in the alley had left him more drained than before and now he stumbled to keep his balance.

"Belle?" he called, hoping beyond hope that she was there. "I'm sorry, Belle. I'm so sorry."

His knees gave out under him and he sank to the wood floor, repeating the apology again and again to the empty house. He'd done it. He'd finally driven her away and now he was alone. Now he was truly dust.

* * *

><p>The whole town was in an uproar. A man had been murdered in the street and Mr Gold was the prime suspect. He'd been found at the site and had fled when questioned. The Blue Fairy confirmed after his departure that the victim had been killed with powerful dark magic just as the Dark One used. It had destroyed him from the inside out, leaving no chance for survival as pure darkness surged through him. Henry was pretty sure he wasn't supposed to hear that part, but Emma seemed determined not to leave him to his own devices lest he decide to sneak out while Mary Margaret was handling baby Neal. She wouldn't listen to a thing he said about his grandfather's innocence - or at least there being more to the story than what they knew - and had put Granny and Leroy on guard duty while they spoke with Blue about a way to get through Rumplestiltskin's wards and into his house where he was likely hiding out.<p>

No one seemed to know where Belle had disappeared to, but if anyone knew the whole story - well, anyone the others would listen to - it was her.

Henry waited until Emma and David were both gone, left only with his jailers and homework he'd already finished. He didn't have to fake the huge yawn that took over as he moved to sit next to Leroy at the bar where he was grousing with Granny.

"It was only a matter of time," the innkeeper was saying. "I don't care if he looks like an imp or a man, we all know what he's capable of. There's a reason Snow and Charming locked him up."

"I still think he has Belle under some sort of spell or something. That girl's too good hearted to be with a monster."

"He's not a monster," Henry snapped before he could stop himself. "We don't have the whole story yet. What if the dead guy attacked him or something?"

"Seems strange to me that Belle would go running off," Granny murmured. "Too much for the poor thing, I suppose. Now she's stuck with him."

"Why'd Archie agree to perform that ceremony anyway?" Leroy demanded.

"Because they're True Love," Henry answered. "He doesn't have her under any spell. She loves him, just like you love Astrid."

That quieted the dwarf down a bit and Granny glared sternly over her half moon glasses. "You look tired, Henry. You okay?"

"Yeah, I just haven't been sleeping well. Nightmares."

"I'd have nightmares too if I was adopted by the Evil Queen and found out my grandfather was the Dark One." She ducked down to fish out a key from below the counters and handed it to him. "Room number's on the key. Why don't you go get some sleep while we talk?"

He let another yawn escape for good measure as he nodded. It wasn't like he had to try too hard to look tired. He could feel it weighing on him. If it felt that heavy on him, he couldn't imagine what the others were feeling.

Henry started off towards the back, but paused in the hallway. The stairs that led to the rooms were off in one direction while a back door was tucked away just past the restrooms. Voices followed from the mostly empty diner and once he was certain they were once again distracted he eased the door open and slipped out.

The cold air hit him hard. He'd left his jacket on the hanger so that he wouldn't draw attention to himself and was left just with his thin plaid shirt and sweater that covered it. He glanced back only once before he started forward, jogging as indiscreetly as he could for both speed and warmth.

By the time he reached the three story pink house he was out of breath, but he didn't stop. He felt the wards that Emma had complained about give as he entered and he knew that he was one of the few that could walk right through them with little more than a tingling sensation. He knocked on the door and wasn't overly surprised when no one answered, so he reached for it and the knob turned in his hand. Blood magic. It could keep everyone but his grandson out.

"Grandpa?" Henry called into what looked like an empty house. The setting sun peeked in through pulled curtains and cast long shadows on the floors. He stepped forward, calling out again before he heard a shuffling that caught his attention. He followed the sound until he found his grandfather seated on the floor of Belle's library. His coat had been discarded, leaving him in only his shirt and slacks. Even his tie was pulled loose and he looked quite a mess with his head leaned back against the shelf with eyes rimmed red.

Rumplestiltskin didn't acknowledge his presence, but that didn't stop Henry from walking to him and taking a seat next to him. The teen said nothing as he leaned back.

"Your mothers would have a fit if they knew you were here," Grandpa Gold said at last.

"That's why I left my phone at Granny's. That way Mom can't track me right away."

A soft sound escaped the elder man, and for the first time Henry thought his grandfather looked old. It was as if the weight of the centuries he'd lived was crushing in on him and threatening to shatter him beneath it. "I'm not safe to be around, Henry. You should go."

"You wouldn't hurt me."

"You don't know that."

Henry cringed, but not because he was worried for his own safety. He pulled in a deep breath and thought hard. His dad could fix this, if he were there. He'd have the perfect words to say to kick his own father into action and pull him out of the well of self pity that he seemed to be trying to drown himself in. They'd bicker, it was true, but then Neal would make him see reason. He was good at that, and Henry was sure that he must have inherited something from his dad to help handle Rumplestiltskin.

"I'm not going anywhere, so you might as well talk to me," he said stubbornly and crossed his legs to steady his position.

Dark eyes, the same colour as his own, flickered over to look at him and his grandfather snorted softly. "You sound just like your father. When he was young he used to try to wheedle all of life's woes out of me when they grew too heavy."

Henry tried to keep his feeling of triumph down to a minimum. "Did it work?"

A small, albeit real, smile touched Grandpa Gold's lips. "At times."

"Did you kill the man?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"He threatened to hurt Belle. He held a knife to her throat."

"Could you not… I don't know, restrain him or something?"

"I could have."

"Why didn't you?"

Another snort escaped him and this time Rumplestiltskin turned to look at his grandson. "Because I'm not a hero in your book, Henry. When someone takes a shot at me, I fight back until they can never harm me - or those I love - ever again."

He swallowed hard. "You killed Zelena, didn't you?"

"Clever boy."

He shrugged. "Not really. I just listen."

Rumplestiltskin chuckled softly. "You _are_ clever. You come by it naturally." He paused, watching him for a moment. "What are you thinking?"

Henry blinked, turning to look at Grandpa Gold carefully. "I'm trying to figure out if I'm a bad person for not being angry at you for killing her."

"No. She took someone from you that can never be replaced. I don't think that makes you bad at all."

"Okay." He pulled in a deep breath and steadied himself. "They're saying you and Belle had a fight. Was it because you killed the guy?"

"No. I lied to her."

"About what?"

"I told her I was giving her my dagger and instead I gave her a replica. She found out and she left. I don't think she'll be coming back this time."

Henry gaped, instantly springing up so that he was on his knees and bouncing on them, eyes fixated on his grandfather and all the energy of a boy his age rushing through his system to make him get up and do _something_ about this. "What are you doing here? Go after her!"

The sad smile returned. "I'm afraid it's not that simple, Henry."

"Do you love her?"

"Of course I do."

"And she loves you. That's simple. Just tell her why you did it. I know you. You don't do _anything_ without a reason. Just tell her, explain it, and she'll understand. I know she will."

"I don't even know where she's gone to."

Henry rolled his eyes. "Really? The Dark One can't find someone? That's not an excuse at all. Don't be scared. If she's worth fighting for, then fight for her."

Grandpa Gold watched him for a long moment before a slow, careful nod bent his neck. He stood then, slow and stiff, but he offered a hand to pull Henry to his feet as well. The teen didn't wait, but wrapped his arms around his middle in a tight hug that Rumplestiltskin returned after less hesitation than usual. "You are your father's son," he said tightly as if he were trying to keep the dam of emotions from breaking.

Henry smiled and released him. "I know. Now go fight for her."

"Yes, now where are you _supposed_ to be, since I know you snuck out from somewhere?"

"Granny's," Henry answered as he produced the roomkey.

"Then they'll never have known you were gone," his grandfather promised and magic swirled around him, redepositing him in the room he was meant to be in. Henry pulled in a deep breath and sat on the bed. It was a terrible day and something equally terrible was happening all around them, but at least one good thing had happened, and that was what he'd hold onto. It would give him hope.

* * *

><p>It was very difficult to disappear in a small town where most everyone knew who you were, and that was why Belle had finally gone to the one place that, while they might know her, they knew the <em>wrong<em> her. She hadn't stepped foot into the Rabbit Hole since she received her memories back, just before everyone had rushed off to Neverland to save Henry. A curse reversal and re-cast later, nothing had changed. It still smelled like stale cigarettes and Keith - once the Sheriff of Nottingham - still had his corner stool that he fell off of several times by the end of the night.

The bartender had been kind enough to let her hide out in the one place that no one would look, so Belle took a seat in the corner table with her back to the wall and stuck her nose in a book. She counted time by how often Keith tried to make a pass at her. Gaston tried once to "rescue" her from the leering sheriff, but in the end they'd both slunk away like scolded puppies, leaving the beautiful bookworm to her fantasy and the glass of wine that mysteriously never quite went all the way to the bottom of the glass.

Neither of the men had bothered her in quite a while and the hero of her book had just been reunited with her True Love when she got the strangest feeling she was being watched. Thinking it was one of the two she'd been swatting back all evening, Belle lowered the book to find a familiar face plastered with a slightly terrified expression. She blinked, surprised to see him there. It wasn't so much that he'd found her, but that he'd come after her. She'd fully expected him to slink back to the house and hide out there, foregoing any courageous stance that he could take, but as she sat there looking at him, she realized that maybe that's not as much what she expected, but what she'd wanted. She didn't want to hear his explanations right now. She didn't want to even speak with him.

But there he was and damn it all she loved him more than she was angry at him, and there was no small amount of anger still building within her.

"Hey," he greeted softly.

"Hello."

He stared at her, looking very much like he wanted to turn and run, but he didn't, and she supposed that was to his credit. That didn't mean she was going to make this easy, so she quirked an eyebrow at him and leaned back in her chair. "Did you have something to say?"

"If you'll hear it."

She motioned and he pulled up a chair, leaning closely to keep their voices quiet. "I cannot begin to apologize-"

"No, you really can't, but you're welcome to try."

He winced and she kept herself from mirroring it. Her husband had been lying to her for the duration of their marriage, short as it had been thus far, and she had to hold steady. Rumplestiltskin never made a move without a reason - even if he wasn't certain if that reason himself - and he needed to be honest with her about it. If he wasn't honest now, she wasn't sure how she could trust him going forward, and she knew that she needed to. They were meant to be partners when they said their vows. She couldn't do this, no matter how much she wanted to, if she couldn't trust him.

"Do you understand what you've done?" she asked, her voice more chilled that she had expected it to be. "I know how hard it is for you to trust, Rumple, and to me, that was you saying that you trusted me completely. That you believed in our love as strongly as I do."

"I do, Belle," he said in a desperate voice.

"Do you? Because you lied to me when you said you trusted me."

He glanced around, made nervous by the chattering that surrounded them. She knew he'd prefer to have this conversation somewhere private, but at the moment she thought a little discomfort would do him some good. "I didn't switch it on _you_," he said very quietly so that she had to strain to hear him. "I switched it on Regina while everyone was watching Zelena."

"You still gave me the fake one saying it was the real one. I would have kept your secret, Rumple. There are plenty of reasons not to trust Regina. I don't understand why you didn't just tell me. I tried to give it back and you all but forced me to take it. Why were you so determined to start our lives together on a lie? Was I just your alibi? Your... _distraction_, as those men called me?"

"No, no. Of course not," he answered hastily, but then clamped back down. She watched him carefully and saw the struggle that caused the muscles at the edge of his lips to twitch. It was a small tell she'd seen as far back as the Dark Castle when he was trying so hard to hide behind this mask or that. It meant that he wasn't willing to tell her everything even now.

Belle let loose a long breath, picked her book back up, and stood. "I will never love you less, Rumplestiltskin, but I can't be with you if you don't trust me. I can't live like that. We're supposed to be in this together for every step of the way. _That_ is what you promised, but that you cannot seem to abide by."

"No, please don't leave," he begged and grabbed her hand. There was something desperate in those dark eyes that reminded her if when she'd found him in Zelena's basement. She swallowed hard even as he tightened his grip. "I was afraid," he whispered. "I'm sorry, Belle. You're not the one that caused it, but I-"

Belle moved quickly so that she was very close to him and they looked each other directly in the eye. "What did she do to you, Rumple?" It was a question that had been asked again and again, but every time that he skirted around it she let him because she thought he wasn't ready. Now, she knew, she'd let it go too far and they were both suffering for it. It was now or never and she didn't want to lose him to the despair that threatened to drown him in his own darkness.

"Please, not here," he managed and she wrapped her arms around him. He sunk into her embrace.

"Then make me a deal, because for some reason those mean more to you," she said into his ear and he cringed. "If we go home you will tell me everything without delay. No more secrets."

"No more secrets," he agreed. "I'll tell you everything."

They stood together and though the drive home was quiet between them, she knew his mind was running through everything. They were silent as they walked into the house and as he took her coat for her, all the while moving as if he were on autopilot.

When he did speak his voice was trembling as if he were barely holding himself together. "I always thought she'd kill me in the end. After Bae...I'm not sure I didn't want to."

Belle felt her heart clench in her chest and she stepped forward to take his hand. He squeezed her fingers in his and when she looked up she thought he looked a little more tired than he had earlier. It took a moment for her to realize that a spell had washed away. She'd read about more spells than she'd ever seen with her own eyes, so she was fairly certain that she recognized it as a glamour spell when it fell. She'd seen a few of the scars Zelena had left behind, but as the spell faded away she saw the ones he hadn't been willing to share with her. He pulled at his tie and shrugged off his coat, revealing a rather nasty and jagged scar at his neck, very obviously left by the Kris Dagger.

"When I first gained control of the dagger and killed Zoso, I didn't know to what extent it could control the Dark One. I suppose I didn't know in full until Zelena had it. She was a quick study." A short, mirthless laugh left him and Belle reached up to work the buttons of his shirt open. He let her and she tried to crush the sick feeling that rose in her, his name falling from her lips as she found more hidden scars there. "I caught a glimpse when Regina knocked the dagger from Zelena's hands in the barn - more of a feeling, I suppose - of how bad it could be if they took hold of it. I won't live as a slave, Belle. Never again."

Her fingers trailed the scars and she knew there were many more that Zelena had left that couldn't be physically seen on his body. She saw them in the way he flinched when someone came up behind him or when control slipped for even a moment. "But why did you lie to me?"

"Because I'm a coward," her husband whispered, "and I was afraid - _terrified_ - of what would happen." He paused and leaned into her touch when she lifted her hand to his face. "I needed to know you'd stay."

"How is it that you can be so clever and so foolish at the same time? I'm always going to fight for you, Rumple. I just... We have to fight together."

He gritted his teeth hard and his voice was strained. "I'll give it to you. The real one."

"I don't want it. I want you to do what I ask because you love me, not because you have to, and I'll do the same for you. When we disagree we will talk about it, not run circles around each other. Agreed?"

Rumplestiltskin stared at her for a moment as if he were waiting for something worse to be added. When it wasn't he took a shaky breath. "Yes." He paused, those dark eyes watching her uncertainly, but the speed with which the next confession left his lips, she knew he was taking a frightening leap of faith in her. "I killed Zelena."

Well, they'd said no more secrets. "I know."

He blinked at her. "You knew?"

She pulled in a deep breath. "Yes, but I was waiting for you to tell me."

"You're not angry?"

"I don't approve. You know I don't, but I think I understand. Especially now."

"She would have gotten out eventually and it would have happened all over again."

She nodded and wrapped her arms around his waist, pressing her cheek against his chest. "I love you," she whispered and she could feel him slowly begin to relax against her. "I know everything won't be better right away, Rumple. Just don't shut me out."

"I won't," he swore.

"I'm holding you to that."

"I promise," he murmured and kissed her hair.

Belle pulled back just enough to meet his eyes. "I'll go see Emma first thing and clear up this afternoon's mess. I know you were only protecting me, Rumple, and I'll explain it to them. Do you know who they were?"

"A great deal of trouble, potentially," he grumbled. "The magic that their leader - Caiden - was using reeked of both what was left behind in the shop as well as the magic that has been causing the dreams."

"We'll get to the bottom of it all. Together."

"Though it may be time that Henry took a step out of it. It's becoming too dangerous for him to be involved."

"I'd like to see you try," Belle laughed. "That boy has a stubborn streak that he inherited from him grandfather."

Rumple snorted but didn't argue the point. "We'll handle it in the morning."

She nodded and took his hand a they climbed the steps to their room. She didn't want the dagger, she wanted his trust. It was something he rarely gave, and she knew why. Time would tell if he could truly live by his promises, but the fact that he'd freely told her of Zelena was a good start. He was braver than he gave himself credit for. Sometimes he just needed someone to remind him of it.

* * *

><p>His chest still ached where the Dark One had tried to rip his heart from him. He'd spent the better part of his life training for that battle and had nearly been killed before landing a meaningful blow. Even in the Land Without Magic he was stronger than they had ever thought he could be, and that lack of foresight had gotten Soren killed.<p>

Caiden's boots echoed throughout the entrance way as he pushed through the wards surrounding the large house in the woods that they had taken for their own. No one had questioned them and they'd sealed it off from any curious onlookers. It wouldn't do to have the Storybrooke citizens snooping around.

"Leaving him there like that was wrong," Silas, his remaining companion from the failed attempt to lay hands on the Kris Dagger, muttered.

"Soren was dead. There was nothing to be done for him," Caiden answered without meeting the gaze he was sure was on him.

"Nothing? His body will rot in those people's hands. He deserves a proper burial according to customs."

"Customs will have to wait. The Dark One is our first priority. Soren knew the risks."

"What good has all our work been if he's still that powerful?" Silas demanded. "This is the only place we might have a chance of killing him without transferring the curse. If we can't-"

"I'm well aware," Caiden growled, stopping in front of the large, ornate doors that his the room their leader had sectioned off for his own. He glanced to where Silas had shrunk back just a little, but hadn't left his side just yet. "There's no point in both of us going in. It was my mission. I'll speak with him."

"He had to have known it was too early to be sure," Silas managed, but Caiden could only shrug. There was no going back now.

As soon as the younger man had vanished Caiden reached forward, knuckles colliding with the heavy wooden door. He waited for the muffled acknowledgement from inside before he pushed it open and entered.

The fire roared big and bright in its place and the man that had brought them all to this land in hopes of finally putting an end to the evil that was the Dark One's curse stood facing it, broad shoulders pulled back tightly and head held high. He was dressed in robes of their own world, not of this one, and his only movement was to barely extend his hand as Caiden moved closer and knelt to kiss the ring he wore.

"You return one shy than the number you left with."

"Soren was killed by the Dark One," Caiden answered, slowly rising to his feet.

"You were only meant to go after the girl. It was too early to approach the demon."

"He came to her aid. The dagger she held was not the Kris Dagger."

"Clever demon," the elder man said and he turned, milky eyes drifting away from the flames. He had no need of physical site with all his magical talent. He'd called it a hindrance once, when Caiden had been small and curious. If he'd been burdened with all the many distractions around him, it would have been a hindrance to their cause. "Then he still holds it."

"We were unable to recover Soren's body, Magnus," Caiden said softly, "though if we go after nightfall-"

"There's no need. We are too close to allow another slip as he did. Far too close."

Without warning the giant of a man turned to move, his robes brushing the wooden floors as he strode forward and Caiden followed without delay. He shuffled after his mentor as they moved down the hall and down into the basement where the lights did not shine. Magnus had no need to see the path before him, but Caiden let a ball of flame appear in his hand, the fire lighting the dark space. He knew what was down here and he had no interest in being caught unawares should they find that he'd managed to escape his bindings again.

A soft, raspy chuckle met his ears and as he leaned forward, magic fueling the light in his hand, he saw that their captive had not broken free again. He still sat tied firmly to a chair, one eye nearly swollen shut and blood had dried to the side of his face. One or more of Caiden's brothers had made him pay for the last attempt. "More visitors," he said as he craned his head around to see them. "Yay."

"You'd do well not to antagonize us further," Caiden warned, but Magnus waved him down and stepped closer.

He took the man's chin between his fingers and forced him to meet his milky gaze. "Rumplestiltskin killed one of my sons today."

"Sucks to be him," was the answer and he tried to pull away. "And you, when he gets done. He's not one to half-ass things."

"We will cleanse this land and our own of his foul curse. It _will_ be done. If you help us willingly you will be rewarded."

Caiden leaned forward and saw the dark haired man's smile spread, lip splitting for his effort and he snorted. "You really don't know a damn thing about him, do you? You certainly don't know me."

"Not so little as you might think," Magnus answered easily. "By your own will or ours, you will help us, Baelfire. Of that I have no doubt."

* * *

><p>TBC<p>

Notes: Well, for all of you that were questioning if Bae would make an appearance... I told you to have faith :D You know I can't ever write a story without my lovely Baelfire in it. I've been excited for this one to come about. I'd love to know if anyone saw it coming.

Next time - Belle tries to explain to Emma what she's found while Magnus and his followers make a more aggressive move to reach their goals.


	7. Chapter Seven

**Chapter Seven**

He had no idea how long he'd been down there or even where _there_ was. It was dark and cold more times than not, and every time he'd gotten free of his restraints he'd been met before he came close to escaping. This last time he had made it to the top of the stairs, securing the idea he was in some sort of basement, but he'd been set upon by three of the 'brothers' and wrangled back into the chair. They hadn't felt any need to be gentle, but neither had he in return. He'd left one with a black eye to match his own. Maybe a broken nose too. Her certainly hoped so.

Baelfire leaned back as best he could, though he was tied down tightly enough that there wasn't a great deal if moving anything. He closed his eyes and played back the events in his mind, a trick that had helped him get a handle on the passing of time long ago in Neverland.

He'd been dead, of that much he was sure. His papa had delayed the end, but he hadn't found a way around it in time. That had been okay. His family had been safe and he'd had made peace with that. Then there's been the vault. Bae hadn't thought _anything_ could have been worse with it's boiling pits of darkness and battling dead Dark Ones that seemed to be his promised eternity. He'd been alone and certainly hadn't belonged. Somehow he'd managed to survive - or whatever one does after death - with his sanity mostly intact, though he'd always heard the crazy person was the last one to know. Then these people - Magnus and his _sons_ - had pulled him from it. How they managed, he had no idea. He'd been trying to avoid being completely overtaken by the maniacs that had once held his father's curse when he'd found himself being pulled from their grasp. The next thing he'd known he'd been standing in the torch lit basement atop of the deep carvings that accessed the door, and that had been the last he'd known until he woke up bound to the chair.

Magnus hadn't stayed long for his last visit to tell Bae that his papa had killed one of his followers. Perhaps he'd hoped that the younger man would feel a bit of pity for the slain soldier fighting so hard against darkness, but he probably would have gotten a little more sympathy if he hadn't tied him up and threatened his family. Well, the fact that his family _was_ the darkness they were fighting may have had something to do with that. At least his papa was.

The door swung open, allowing a bit of light in at the top, but closed just as quickly. That meant it was only their leader. The blind cleric - because that's what Bae had finally been told they were after what he was certain were weeks of asking - saw with a sort of sixth sense that he gained through magic. Every once and a while Bae caught a glimpse of those milky eyes and it made him cringe. They might have called themselves clerics, but really they were just madmen bent on a cause. They wanted to eradicate the Dark One's Curse. Great. Baelfire was all for it, as long as it didn't kill the man that currently hosted it.

"Our time grows short," Magnus said in his important way and his footsteps moved closer. "Soren's passing is sad indeed, but I shall not allow it to go unavenged. Nor unused. The people of this town do not trust your father."

"Papa's always been a bit difficult to understand," Bae answered flippantly and his fingers were working at the knots. At least they were trying to. They seemed just out of his reach.

"Your father is lost to the Dark One's curse. There is no retrieving his soul from its clutches."

"You know, I thought that once too, but then I spent a few months inside his head. He's not as far gone as I thought."

"Or perhaps you are further gone than you thought," the lead cleric answered and Bae felt his clammy hands take hold on either side of his face. "Do not fight me, Baelfire. In the end, your father will be at peace and I have the power to return you to your family."

"He's _part_ of my family," Bae bit out, doing his best to fight the raging magic that Magnus called to his fingertips. It surged inside of him, filling him up and dragging him under. This wasn't the first time, nor would it be the last if he couldn't find a way to free himself. "I won't let you hurt him."

"You have no choice. We will drive the townspeople to kill him. This is the only land that it can be done in. His magic is weakened due to the stress on his human body. They are questioning him, and we can use that."

"You'll use David and Mary Margaret to kill him?" Bae managed, fighting it. It was his blood they were using, his connection to his father that made it possible for them to filter the spell through him.

"You cannot fight it. Give in."

And in that moment he knew it was true. He couldn't fight it. He couldn't win against a man so skilled in magic. He'd never learned an ounce, but that didn't mean that he wasn't smart enough to start now. There had been one time that he'd given to it and latched onto a thread of magic, holding tight and letting it carry him deep into the nightmare itself. He'd seen his papa there, frightened and cornered with David closing in to kill him yet again. He'd tried to call out to him, to warn him, but he'd been pushed out just as quickly. This time, if he focused, perhaps he could get close enough to do some good.

* * *

><p>Belle didn't want to get up the next morning. It had been the first night that they'd slept through since the nightmares had begun and she felt like a weight had been lifted with the confessions between them. Rumple was curled up behind her, pressed against her back with his arm draped over and their feet tangled beneath the sheets. She could feel his breath against her bare shoulder and she didn't even want to shift enough to shut the softly beeping alarm off. If she didn't, it'd only grow louder.<p>

Rumple's arm tightened around her and he made a soft sound. She shifted, trying to look over her shoulder at him and saw his brows drawn close together. So much for a fully nightmare-free night. At least they were at the point of waking up anyway.

"Rumple?" she whispered, moving in his arms. Every muscle was pulled taught and she could see the scar along his neck in the dim light. She hadn't realized before that he had even slept wrapped in the glamour spell, but now he was choosing to trust her even when he wasn't awake. His back arched and he let out a pained, choked sound and she inched forward, pressing the palm of her hand against his cheek and moving to cover his mouth with hers very carefully. He relaxed into the kiss after a moment and his dark eyes fluttered open.

"Hey," he managed as they parted.

"Bad again?"

"It's always bad," he whispered, leaning his forehead against hers. "I saw Bae."

"Again?"

"Mmm. He… He was there. In the crowd. He was reaching for me like he was trying to help, but…."

"But David got to you first?"

"He always does."

Belle nestled closer. "You think that the men that attacked me are causing these?"

"I think that I don't believe in coincidences."

His wife moved and he didn't look any happier than she felt at it. "I need to speak to Emma this morning or they'll continue to think you attacked that man without cause."

"Speaking to them won't help, dear."

"Of course it will," she promised as she kissed the tip of his nose. "You've never done anything without reason."

"They're not overly fond of reason," he groused and pulled her to him again. He didn't seem to want to let her go and it was making it increasingly difficult to remind herself that she needed to. Rumours spread like wildfire in Storybrooke, and if the flames fanned enough - which they would have been overnight - they'd have a mob at their door demanding Rumplestiltskin's head. As much as she would have preferred to have continued to remain under the thick blankets, curled into his arms, sometimes one had to make the difficult choices in life. She leaned up and kissed him before making her own by tossing the covers off and shifting out of the bed. "Are you going into the shop?"

"Well I'm not hiding here, certainly," Rumple answered in a tone that indicated that he was not pleased with the cold air rushing in towards him nor the sudden emptiness on her side of the bed.

A smile tugged at her lips and she started for the shower.

* * *

><p>There were times when Emma Swan truly and thoroughly hated being sheriff of Storybrooke. She'd been fool enough to hope the quiet lasted only to be dragged into a murder with the Dark One as their only real suspect. They'd gone to his shop after he'd disappeared to find it locked down tight with no sign of either Gold or Belle. His home had been impossible to breach, even with the Blue Fairy's help. Regina had refused to lend a hand when asked, and had been less than forthcoming as to why. The worst part of it was that Emma couldn't break the nagging feeling that something was wrong with the whole situation. Well, more wrong than a man being suffocated from the inside by dark magic. That was pretty creepy in and of itself.<p>

"It looks like he came over with this last curse, but other than a name and some false information that the curse provided we have nothing. Not even a home address."

"Is that abnormal?" her reluctant fellow researcher asked. It was his own damned fault that he'd told her he was 'surprisingly good at research.' Though now that she'd put him to work she thought he might have over exaggerated his talents.

"No," she admitted softly, flipping through her paperwork. "But it is abnormal that someone shows up in a back alleyway dead."

"Many people end up dead when the Dark One is concerned," Hook said quietly. "Likely he was just a poor bloke that crossed him shortly after a spat with the pretty librarian."

"Belle's the one that we need to talk to. Gold will just twist the situation. At least we can get a straight answer from her."

"If he hasn't killed her too."

"That's taking it a bit far don't you think?"

The pirate shrugged. "He's been known to murder people he claimed to love before. I suppose Neal never told you about his mother, did he?"

Emma frowned. It wasn't hard to catch on to what Hook was insinuating and she thought about the conversation between she and Gold just the morning before. Family. He'd said she had nothing to worry about because she was as good as family. She wondered just how far that went. She glanced over to where Killian was leaning back in his chair. "Have you been having weird nightmares?"

He nearly tilted back all the way with her sudden question and he looked over to her. "No odder than they usually are, I suppose."

She hadn't asked anyone else about it yet, but the dreams just wouldn't stop. They changed in small parts, but every time it was Gold that killed her and every time he blamed her for Neal's death. There was no talk of family in those dreams, or care for how it would affect his grandson. There was just hatred and a need to end her life. Emma had thought about asking David or Mary Margaret about it, but something stopped her every time. She didn't dare say anything to Henry or he'd go running off with it like a mad person. She didn't need him acting any stranger than he had been already.

"You know, Swan," Killian said as he sat forward in the chair. "I think you need a break. What do you say to breakfast at Granny's?"

The blonde sheriff eyed him suspiciously. "Hook, we talked about this…"

"It's just breakfast."

"Yeah, well there's breakfast and then there's _breakfast_," she grumbled. "But I suppose I should be fair. You manage to make everything sound like an innuendo if it is or not."

"Well, take it as you will," the pirate answered with a grin. When she didn't return it, it slowly faded and he huffed a short sigh. "I know you don't want to hear this, but putting a hold on your life is not going to bring Baelfire back."

Emma _really_ didn't want to have this conversation right now. "I know that, Killian."

"You don't seem to. Neal is gone and he died to save you. Live a little."

"With you?" she snapped and he sat back. They studied each other for a moment, neither giving way until a soft knock caused them both to jump and look at the door.

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything," Belle said softly, looking as if she might have been there for a bit.

"Nothing," Emma answered pointedly.

"Then I'll just see myself out," Hook answered as he stood. He barely offered a nod to Belle as he nearly took her off her feet in his haste to leave the room.

"We've been looking for you."

Belle ducked her head a little at the statement. "I'm sorry. Rumple and I had a bit of a row yesterday and… well, I needed some time to sort through things. It was poorly timed, I admit. I suppose I wasn't thinking very clearly when I assumed that Rumple would stay and sort everything out about what happened."

"Poorly timed may be the understatement of the century. Have a seat. I'm guessing you saw what happened yesterday?"

"I did and that's why I'm here." She took the newly vacated seat. "Rumple and I were supposed to meet at Granny's yesterday for a late lunch. On my way, I was attacked by three men that were looking to steal Rumple's dagger from me. The man that died had a knife to my throat. Rumple saved my life." She pulled the collar of her blouse back to show the thin mark along her neck where a knife might have nicked her.

"Self defence?" Emma asked and she wondered if she was putting faith in Belle a bit hastily. The woman was clever and had always seemed to have a very kind spirit, but she had married the Dark One. Would she lie for him?

"Defence of another, I suppose," Belle answered. "Their leader though - Caiden they called him - seemed to be bent on hurting Rumple."

The sheriff scribbled the name down. "Any idea why?"

"Nothing for certain."

"Listen, Belle-"

Blue eyes locked in on her and Emma's mouth snapped shut. "I know you're doing your job, Emma, but Storybrooke isn't just in the Land Without Magic. I fear not everything here will always be as straightforward as you would like it to be. There are people that hate Rumple for the curse he's under. They don't know the man beneath that." She stopped and it looked as if she were wrestling with herself over how much information to give.

"Listen, Belle, I can't help either of you if you don't tell me what the hell is going on. Right now I've only got a small piece of what sounds like a much bigger picture. If you guys are in trouble, let us help you."

"I've been doing some research," Belle said as she set her purse on the desk and began pulling more books from it than it looked like it should hold. She paused, blue eyes flickering to meet hazel. "Have you been having strange dreams, Emma?"

The younger woman swallowed hard. "Yes." She watched Belle nod as if she'd been expecting that answer. This time it was it was she that leaned forward. "I think it's time that we both put everything out on the table."

"Yes, I think it is."

* * *

><p>Rumplestiltskin had made it to his shop without being harassed by either of Storybrooke's sheriffs, so he assumed that Belle had told Emma just enough to let the blonde savior know that she had no case against him for murder. He'd been there nearly an hour when someone began hammering on the front door. It jolted him in his place, tools used for fixing the old music box falling from his fingertips and clattering to the work table. He stood after a moment when the banging continued and moved slowly into the front room, flipping on a light as he went. He could see a shadow outside of the pulled blinds he went and stopped just shy of opening it. "We're closed," he called, ready to turn around and go back to his work.<p>

The banging continue with Charming's voice to accompany it this time. "Open up, Gold."

Rumplestiltskin sighed. Or maybe she hadn't quite convinced them of his innocence yet. He grit his teeth and moved to unlock the door. He might not be able to get through the wards but he could certainly make a racket that the shop owner wasn't ready to deal with.

David pushed his way in like he'd been knocking for a solid fifteen minutes. "You're a real piece of work, you know that?" he growled as Rumplestiltskin locked the door back.

"I've been called worse."

The quip didn't seem to amuse the the already irritated prince. "You murdered a man in broad daylight-"

"In defence of both Belle and myself. We were attacked."

"- and then took off. You do realize that there are rules and laws that you have to obey, right?"

"Interesting. You only obey them when it suits you," the Dark One grumbled and moved behind his counter. He picked up a small trinket and began to polish it as he spoke. "If you'd had a bit more patience this morning, you'd have known that Belle is currently speaking with your darling daughter as to what happened."

"So you're having her lie for you now as well?"

The hostility in his voice caused Rumplestiltskin to look up, his fingers stilling in their work. "I'm not a fool enough to ask Belle to lie for me. She'd never do it."

"She would if you made her."

"What exactly are you insinuating?"

David moved closer and for the first time since he'd entered Rumplestiltskin met his eyes. He'd just wanted him out, not wishing to relive the horror that he saw in his mind every night, but the way that the prince's shoulders were squared and the dark circles under his eyes made the elder man uneasy.

"I'm insinuating that maybe we've looked the other way long enough."

He was dreaming again. It was that or David had completely lost his mind. Rumplestiltskin took a small step back as the prince leaned forward and he tried to crush the sudden feeling of being cornered. "And what?" he demanded, his voice strained as he saw David's hand go to the hilt of his sword. "You'll put me behind bars again? They won't hold me, and I won't be harassed when all I was doing was defending myself and Belle."

"I'm well aware that bars won't hold you and you can drop the act. She never would have attacked either of you."

"She?" Rumplestiltskin echoed.

David looked ready to take his head off. "_Emma_."

"I'm dreaming again," the shop owner breathed. He had to be. That was the only explanation for the sudden change in conversation and the threats. "You're going to kill me."

"You killed my daughter. What did you _think_ would happen?"

He never would understand what drove him in these nightmares to run. That nasty habit of his seemed to take hold even in dreams. He waited for Charming to lunge before he darted around the counter and towards the back office. The younger man was on his heels as he threw himself out the back door and down the steps. He felt his right ankle twinge when he hit the bottom and he grimaced, pushing through it. It was going to be one of those, apparently.

David shouted behind him and Rumplestiltskin rounded the corner into the Main Street. Avoiding it did no good. He'd tried that before and his blood had just been spilled elsewhere. He wondered, not for the first time, just what good it did to run. He'd be caught eventually and the pain wouldn't be any less just because he'd given it his best to get away.

Rumplestiltskin glanced behind him just in time to see Charming leap forward, tackling the smaller man to the ground and they landed hard against the unforgiving street.

* * *

><p>Belle knew Rumple wouldn't be overly happy with the fact that she was telling Storybrooke's savior about the dreams. She was going into details with Emma that she and her husband hadn't found time to discuss just yet, namely the fact that she was hedging closer and closer to her cleric theory they'd both written off so early on. After meeting Caiden and his <em>brothers<em> she couldn't help but think about the various surrounding clerics that had come to her father about this it that when she'd been a little girl. They didn't have to be the clerics of legend to have leached off those particular arts. They just had to uncover just the right spells and knowledge, and if they had any relationship to the dream walkers it would have been a relatively easy feat to do that at least. She'd seen for herself just what people could be capable of when they put their minds to it. The power required didn't need to be born within them if they were willing to sell their souls to achieve it.

"So you think these people are manipulating dreams?" Emma asked from where she was seated in her chair, boots resting against the corner of her desk. To anyone passing by she might appear uninterested in the conversation at hand, but Belle was sure that she had her full attention as soon as she'd mentioned the nightmares.

"That seems the most reasonable explanation I've found so far," the librarian agreed. "I was skeptical that one or two people could harness that much power - as was Rumple - but three men attacked me, and I don't think that they were the only ones behind all of this. I think we're looking for a larger number."

"No offense, but I can get why they'd go after Gold. The Dark One and all of that, but why the rest of us?"

Belle shrugged. "There were many religions in the Enchanted Forest, but one commonality that they often shared was a distaste for darkness. The Dark One's Curse is one of the more potent ones that you could ever find through history. Not even Rumple knows its origins, but from what I've discovered over the years… Well, Rumple is unique in how he's handled it, and I don't say that just because I'm biased."

"Unique how?"

"Don't get me wrong, Rumple has done some terrible things - things that he's not proud of anymore, certainly - but in the end they're often driven by the love that he has for a few people in his life. He wrote the Dark Curse to find Baelfire just as he killed the man yesterday to protect me. As far as I am aware, no Dark One has sacrificed their own life for their family, either."

"So why is he different?"

Belle smiled. "Rumple is stronger than most give him credit for. He's rarely brave for his own sake, but when it comes to those he loves… nothing stands in his way."

"I wonder why these dreams have me at the center of them…. You said Henry and you are the only ones that say he's innocent in the dreams?"

"Yes, that's the way it seems. As far as I can tell it seems to be hitting Henry and Rumple the hardest. It makes me wonder if these men are using some sort of blood magic to spread this." She paused, thinking. "Though I don't know how that would make sense unless they had either Henry or Rumple's blood on hand, and Henry certainly would have told one of us if he'd had a run in with them."

"At least he'll tell _you_ something," Emma groused.

"I don't think he wanted to put his grandfather in danger," Belle tried to explain. "You've all been through so much recently, he's holding onto whatever strand of certainty that he can. Imagine what would happen if he told you and you'd become convinced that Rumple was going to hurt you."

"The thought crossed my mind when the dreams started."

"And now?"

"Now I think we're all in a mess. When this is over, we all need to make sure that the next catastrophe has everyone on the same page."

Belle found herself smiling. While she would have loved to argue that perhaps this was the last they'd see, she knew better. This collection of people in Storybrooke seemed to be a magnet for danger. "Agreed. We're a family and we need to start acting like one."

Emma snorted and reached over as her phone started buzzing. Henry's face lit the screen and blonde brows drew together. "He's supposed to be at Granny's with Regina." She put the phone to her ear. "Hey, kid. What's up?"

Belle couldn't make out the words, but she heard Henry's rushed voice on the other end. She stood as Emma did, shuffling books back into her purse and grabbing for her coat.

"Okay, okay," Emma said as she did the same. "Belle's with me. We'll be right there. Stay inside Granny's until Regina gets there, do you hear me?" She waited for the answer and assured her son they were walking out the door before hanging up.

"What's happened?"

"You think those people can control reality too?"

"Not directly, but nightmares night after night could certainly affect one's view of reality I think. What's happened?"

"Henry says David's trying to kill Gold."

* * *

><p>He hit the ground hard and David didn't let up for an instant. Rumplestiltskin squirmed as a hand grabbed at the back of his neck and latched onto his collar, pulled him to his feet, and spun him around. He didn't think he could have teleported if he'd tried as he blow landed hard, snapping his head around and sending him stumbling back. He'd barely caught his balance when the second blow sent him crashing back down to the ground.<p>

"Did you think you'd get away with it?" the familiar words echoed in his ears and Rumplestiltskin cringed as he struggled to his knees. He looked up, dark eyes meeting blue ones, and David was just as angry as he'd been in every previous dream, but there was something different there. It was subtle, so subtle that he almost didn't catch it. He certainly hadn't been looking for it. Why would he inside a dream? But if it was true, if that tiny little strand of magic whisping from the oh-so charming prince was what he thought it was, then that meant this wasn't a dream at all. They'd pushed their spell to the next level and had somehow dug into his subconscious enough to make him truly believe that Rumplestiltskin had killed his daughter. This was real.

That realization changed everything.

His magic was sluggish with the wear that his body was under from night after night of broken sleep, but David's next punch didn't land as he tossed up a quick shield between them. He couldn't hurt him or Henry might never forgive him, but he'd be damned if he would let Charming kill him either. He just had to find a way to break through the enchantment. For that, though, he needed time, and David didn't seem willing to give that. He was a man driven by grief, even if that grief weren't truly justified. He didn't know that, and until he realized it he'd continue swinging away until one dangerous blow connected. Rumplestiltskin had had experience fighting him and he knew that while there were few people that could land a blow anywhere close, David was one of them.

"She's _not_ dead," he bit out, but apparently it was the wrong thing to say. His hastily made and thin shield shattered as the taller man physically broke through it. The enchantment had to have been giving him some sort of extra strength, and while that would have been fascinating any other time, it was only heaping another trouble on top of what was already a growing pile.

Charming slammed into him again and his heel caught the curb of the sidewalk as they went crashing down again, landing in a pile just outside of Granny's patio area. Hands wrapped around Rumplestiltskin's thin neck and he pushed as hard as he could, his magic finally answering his call and it tossed the prince back momentarily. He'd barely made it to standing when he was assaulted again. The blows came fast but were very much controlled. Rumplestiltskin managed to keep them from connecting as hard as they might have otherwise, but the knee to his ribs left him gasping for breath and he thought he heard something snap. David stepped back and when Rumple finally managed to look up he saw tears running down the younger man's face. "Why?" he demanded.

"Why what?" the Dark One managed, feeling the world spinning around him. He used the fence surrounding the patio to stand, leaning heavily against it for support.

"Why did you kill her?"

Rumplestiltskin lifted a hand to his split lip, wiping at the blood there. "I didn't," he said tightly, struggling to keep his voice calm. "David, just listen to me. I have no reason to wish Emma dead."

"Why are still lying?"

The sound of diner door being pulled open caught Rumplestiltskin's attention, but he didn't risk turning until he heard his grandson's voice calling out. "Gramps! Don't!"

He turned back to find David with his sword drawn. He was impressively fast for a mortal man, and even if he hadn't been exhausted, even if he hadn't just taken a beating in the street, Rumplestiltskin might have had trouble clearing the blade without teleporting away. His breath left him entirely in a choked sound as the sword cut straight through just beneath his ribs as it had every night since the nightmares had begun. It took a half a moment for the pain to catch up, but when it did his knees gave way.

David grabbed his collar to keep him from collapsing entirely and pulled him close to speak directly into his ear. "Just tell me why," he begged.

"I didn't. I can.." The words were cut off by a wave of pain, but the proof he'd been about to offer called out from where she was running down the street.

"David!"

Charming spun, releasing his captive as he did and Rumplestiltskin fell. He hit the pavement and couldn't find it in himself to get up. Henry's panicked voice sounded along with Belle's, but they faded as he felt the distinct pull of magic on him. Main Street disappeared from sight and he found himself staring at a collection of books directly in front of him. He struggled to look up and one of the pairs' owner bent down, his milky white eyes nearly glowing in the shadowy room. He wasn't looking at him, per se, but seemed to almost look through him. He stood again, his voice low and gruff as he spoke to his followers. Rumplestiltskin never heard them, though, as the darkness finally claimed him.

* * *

><p>TBC<p>

Notes: Well, NaNo has begun. Anyone else taking part? I'm actually working on an original piece for it, but I'm going to attempt to stick with my twice a week updates for this story. We'll see how it goes.

Next time - Emma, Belle, and the others search for Rumple while Bae makes an unsettling discovery about his captors.


	8. Chapter eight

**Chapter Eight.**

"What the hell just happened?" Regina demanded, though Henry barely heard her. His eyes were fixated on the spot where his grandfathers had been fighting. Grandpa Gold's blood was splattered on the sidewalk and Gramp's sword still showed signs of it as he stood gaping, almost as if coming out of a dream.

Henry blinked slowly as Regina gathered him into her arms. "Are you okay?"

He came out of his stupor about the time Emma joined on his other side and he pulled away. "I told you!" he yelled. "I told you he could be hurt! Now he's gone and nobody did anything to help him!"

"Henry, we'll get him back," Emma promised.

"You don't know that. No one got Dad back," the teen whispered, his voice breaking as he stared at the blood on the street. Gramps hadn't said a word yet. He just stood there, sword held loosely in his grip, and stared through the same spot Henry's gaze was fixated on. The breakfast crowd was slowly inching out of Granny's behind them, whispers rising from them and swirling around. No one had come out to stop the fight, of course. No one had dared. Surely if their prince was fighting the Dark One he had a good reason for it.

"Hey."

Henry looked up to find Belle in front of him, her voice trembling as were her hands. She reached forward anyway and took his in her own, offering something like a smile. "We'll save him."

"Are you sure?"

"I am. He's not going to have to fight this alone. I think we may know more about the people who took him."

Henry blinked at her, Belle's voice helping to steady his downward spiral. "You think the people causing the dreams took him?"

"It's the only thing that makes sense," Regina said. "Magic leaves a trace behind it. This was certainly powerful magic, but even these people needed to make sure your grandfather was weakened to get ahold of him."

"That's why they used David?" Emma asked, and his name seemed to snap him out of his daze.

"Emma... I was so sure. It was so _real_…."

"That seems to be the mantra of these dreams," Belle mused. "They just managed to pull you in while you were awake."

"Very powerful and very old magic," Regina mused as she stepped forward, her eyes following something unseen.

"Can you trace it to where they took him?" Henry asked quietly. They had to act fast. He'd been hurt so bad that he was afraid of what they'd find if they didn't.

"I can try. They covered their tracks pretty well."

Henry took a deep breath, but it did little good. He felt small and helpless as he watched one mother try to track where they'd taken Grandpa Gold and the other try to console Gramps. He had almost forgotten that Belle was there until she squeezed his hands between her own fingers. "I need your help, Henry. Regina will find the path, but we need to know more about these clerics than legends have to tell. We need someone old enough to remember them when they lived out in the open."

"The Blue Fairy," Henry breathed. "Will she help us? She doesn't like Grandpa Gold very well."

"She'll help," Emma said firmly. "If she hangs back on it, send her my way. I'll convince her."

"What are you going to do, Mom?"

Emma glanced to her father who looked perfectly miserable. "I'm going to go dig through the new archives that the latest curse brought with it. They can't leave the town if they came with it, so they'll be here somewhere. No one knew who the dead guy was, so they'll probably be someplace that came through recently."

"We'll find him," Regina promised and Henry nodded slowly. They had to. That's what family did.

* * *

><p>Though Belle had spent very little time near the Blue Fairy in Storybrooke, she'd grown up on stories of one of the oldest powers in existence. She was supposed to be one of the greatest sources for good that their world had ever known. She was the patron fairy to Snow White's family and always seemed to be on hand if Mary Margaret needed anything from her, but she'd also been the one that had separated Rumple from Bae so many, many years before. The conflicting stories raged in her mind as she and Henry climbed the steps to the convent that sat on the outer edges of the cemetery. Blue eyes met brown very briefly before she raised a hand to knock against the door. She might not be willing to help, but if she could just give them information about who they were up against, that might be enough.<p>

The door opened before Belle's knuckles made contact and the fairy in question stared at her with a startled expression across her face. "Oh. Hello, dear. Can I help you with something?"

"I hope so," Belle answered. "I'm curious what you know about a set of clerics that would be powerful enough to harness the magic of dream walking."

Blue stared a moment. "That would be quite powerful magic indeed. Why do you ask, dear? Surely you husband-"

"That's why we're here," Henry interrupted. "They took Grandpa Gold."

"And why do you suppose that these are dream walking clerics?"

Belle watched the human-sized fairy carefully. "Clerics, no matter what sect they come from, carry a certain bearing with them. My father sought their counsel often when I was young. I was attacked in the street yesterday by three clerics trying to obtain the Kris Dagger."

"Attacked you?" Blue gasped. "Were you hurt?"

"Rumple saved me, but he killed one of them in the process."

The fairy's dark eyes skimmed something beyond Henry and Belle and she stepped back. "Come in," she murmured and set almost immediately off for a hall without further explanation.

Henry looked up at her and Belle shrugged. They followed the elder woman into a room with books that reached the ceiling and Blue motioned to a tiny little woman that had been cleaning and asked her to find a specific book on the history of clerics and the magic they'd developed. She rattled off the years and the woman nodded, scurrying to find it.

"The fairies often worked closely with clerics back in our land," Blue explained as she took the book and thanked the woman. "I have not seen a human able to wield dreams in centuries, though. More than even Rumplestiltskin has lived."

"But it is possible?" Belle pressed.

"More so in numbers," Blue agreed. "One man or woman would be drained nearly to death. There are a couple of ways they might get around that, I suppose, though clerics are servants of light magic, Belle. While dream walking is certainly not dark within itself, to avoid the tolls it would take on a human body would require sacrifices, and often that can darken the magic."

"What would they want with my grandpa?" Henry demanded. "He hasn't hurt anyone."

"Well, that's not quite true, is it?"

Blue eyes narrowed. "I was the one that was attacked, Blue, and Rumple-"

"I'm not condoning the attack on you, my dear," the fairy answered hastily. "I'm merely pointing out that Rumplestiltskin is far from innocent. He's brought darkness with him wherever he goes for the past three hundred years. There were times when certain sects of clerics tried to put a stop to that."

"I thought fairies couldn't stand by murder."

"A human life is precious," she answered carefully.

"But you don't think Grandpa's human, do you?" Henry asked quietly.

Belle watched Blue's expression carefully. "Did you know they were here? The clerics, I mean."

"Their second came to me. That is, the one that serves under their leader. His name is Caiden. He's a pleasant sort and-"

"He's one of the ones that attacked me and tried to kill my husband," Belle cut her off pointedly. She had always thought that perhaps Rumple was too hard on the lead fairy. She'd provided Bae with the bean that had swept him away so long ago and he'd never forgiven her for it, but now his wife was beginning to understand where his undying distrust for the fairy stemmed from.

Blue was beginning to grow nervous and she hugged the book to herself. "Belle, I know this isn't what you want to hear, but it may be best to simply let them do what they've come to do."

"And what is that?"

She paused, lips pursed together in thought. "They wish to strip him of his curse."

* * *

><p>The room came into focus slowly with pain to accompany it. Well, it certainly hadn't been a dream.<p>

Rumplestiltskin shifted, feeling the tug of wounds, but it would seem that his magic had begun to stitch him back together immediately. Funny, he thought, he couldn't feel it working now and he most certainly wasn't whole.

"Well look at that. You've lost your bite without your magic. How does the muzzle feel, Dark One?"

Dark eyes flickered up to see one of the survivors from their run-in the day before. He had a glare fixed on him as if they hadn't been the ones to attack Belle on the street. Rumplestiltskin's lips thinned out and then curled dangerously at the corners. "Gloat while you can, dearie. Cages don't hold me long."

"We're well versed in how to handle something like you," his captor growled, pulling a low chuckle from the injured man. The cuffs around his wrist kept his magic pent up tight, working much like the one Pan had used on him did. He could feel it distantly, but he couldn't quite reach it. At least he had healed enough before they slapped them on that he was in danger of immediately bleeding out from the wound David had dealt.

"Didn't work too well for your friend, did it?" he taunted and the angry young cleric grabbed him by the front of his jacket, hauling him up. His injuries screamed in protest, but he didn't dare let the weakness show. Not now. This, right here, would decide much.

"That was my _brother_," he hissed directly into Rumplestiltskin's face. "You murdered him!"

"He threatened my wife," the Dark One growled back. "He was lucky I killed him as quickly as I did."

The cleric pulled him back and slammed him hard into the wall behind him. Rumplestiltskin's vision swam and he blinked against it, willing himself to stay conscious.

"Watch your tongue, Dark One, or I'll cut it out."

"Silas, that's enough."

Rumplestiltskin tucked the name away in his memory as he was released and sunk the rest of the way to the floor. Silas turned to a figure that stood in the doorway, the light behind him making it difficult to make out any defining features. "Caiden, he-"

"That's _enough_," the ringleader from the day before said tightly. "See yourself out."

Silas didn't argue again, but he certainly didn't seem happy as brushed past the elder man who had finally moved into the room, his pale eyes falling on Rumplestiltskin. He studied him for a moment and the Dark One lifted his head a bit.

Caiden crouched down, his expression carefully blank. "You're nothing like I had expected, I'll give you that. You look human, and you claim defence of the woman you used as a decoy."

Rumplestiltskin felt his temper flare. "She is not, nor ever was, a decoy," he growled and lunged forward. His magic might have been tied up, but his hands were free and he wasn't planning on going down without a fight.

The cleric's own magic sprang from him and slammed him back. The pressure didn't let up, but held him there as Caiden stood, pulling him up as well so that his feet left the ground just a little. They were eye to eye now and he didn't let his mask crack for an instant. "I've trained my whole life for this. You can't trick me, you can't distract me. This has been planned. We may have missed our opportunity in the first curse, but fate smiled on us and delivered a second chance. We won't waste it."

"Who the hell are you people?" Rumplestiltskin demanded through gritted teeth.

"We are an ancient sect of clerics, originating from the Northern Kingdom, though we go where needed," a new voice said and Rumple realized Caiden was there as the muscle, as it were. His real jailer was now making himself known. He hadn't noticed when he entered, but even the cuffs that cut off his access to his magic couldn't keep him from feeling the power that rolled off the man in waves.

"And who might you be, dearie?" Rumplestiltskin asked, keeping his voice as light as he could while Caiden's magic threatened to crush him.

Milky white eyes stared through him. "I am Magnus. I am the one that will end your curse."

Well that was interesting. "I'm afraid the only way to do that is to kill me with the Kris Dagger, which you _don't_ have. Nor will you find it."

"Killing you with the dagger does not rid this world or our own of the curse. It would only transfer it."

Dark eyes blinked. "You mean to do away with the curse itself?" He was half surprised at the curiosity in his own voice. "That's not possible. I've tried. There's nothing that will destroy the curse. Even the Land Without Magic only quiets it for a time."

"You lack the will to do what is necessary," Magnus answered him.

"And what is that?"

"To die."

The words made him want to squirm, to free himself from his captors and escape, but there was no hope of that in the moment and Rumplestiltskin knew that. He couldn't even twitch a finger, and if he tried, Caiden's spell tightened around him to the point of choking the air out of him. The younger man's pale eyes watched him carefully as the Dark One sputtered, feeling his bones bend under the pressure.

"You are vulnerable here," the head cleric continued. "Your body is frail without your access to magic. Know, at least, that your death will bring about a new time that is void of the darkness that you bring simply by being."

"Why you?" Rumple managed before squeezing his eyes shut against the pain. He wondered just how much he would endure before his body did give in. Even without access to his magic, the curse would be able to reach through and sustain him longer than most, but he wasn't sure that it could indefinitely. They'd weakened him through sleep deprivation and injury before they took him. They'd made sure he was vulnerable, and they'd planned it well. There was something driving them enough that they were willing to risk their own deaths for this cause.

Magnus turned to him and it was as if he were looking directly at him. "Because it begun with us and we will finish this." He closed those sightless eyes and Rumplestiltskin wondered if he had the same Sight as he did. Seers came in many forms. "This will not be the last time we speak."

All at once the spell lifted and the injured man crumbled to the floor. He lay there weakly, still unable to move as he watched Magnus walk away. He left through the door this time, replaced by Silas who wore a wicked smile. "_Now_ it's my turn," he said and Caiden left them alone in the dimly lit room.

* * *

><p>He hadn't said anything in the car on their way to the sheriff's station, nor had he asked to speak to Mary Margaret when Emma had called to fill her in. His daughter had left out the detail of what had happened, relying on the urgency of the situation as an excuse. David knew better though. He couldn't explain it, but he'd set on Gold with full intent to kill. The man had gone out of his way not to hurt him, but he'd run him through like it had been a fight for his life. It had felt so damn real.<p>

"You still with me?" Emma asked as she set a mug of coffee in front of him.

David blinked, coming out of his thoughts. "I think so."

His daughter stared at him and her lips tugged downward. "You want to talk about it?" she asked, uncertainty threaded through her voice.

"About what? The fact that I lost my mind and may have just killed my grandson's other grandfather?" he demanded roughly as he grabbed for the stack of papers in front of him to go through.

"We don't know that Gold's dead."

"We don't know he's alive, either. I just... I don't know what happened."

Emma sat in the chair next to him and reached out. She didn't seem entirely sure she was doing the right thing as she took his hand, but he tried for a smile as he squeezed her fingers. His daughter huffed a sigh. "Belle thinks these guys have been using some sort of dream spell to turn everyone against Gold. It's not your fault."

"Yes it was. My hands, my sword... Did you see how Henry looked at me?"

"He was just scared. He knows it's not your fault."

"Really? Because I don't. I didn't think I had that much anger built up, Emma. I thought he'd killed you and... I just snapped."

"You're a good man, David. We'll find him and Gold will know how all this works by then. You know he will."

"Thanks, Emma."

"Hey, what are daughters the same age as you are for, huh? Now let's get busy. Mary Margaret said she'd going to drop Neal off with Granny and she and Ruby are going to start a tracking party. These guys won't know what hit them." She gave him a crooked smile. "Gold's irritating as hell, but like you said: he's Henry's other grandpa. We don't leave family behind."

"Right," David agreed and they started in on the files they had on hand.

* * *

><p>Their last session had left Bae feeling drained and a little sick. Magnus had used him to do something terrible, that much he was sure of, and when the cleric had realized that he was trying to use the spell to communicate with his father, it hadn't gone well for him. The threats rang only partially empty until he'd been urgently called away by Caiden who had seemed quietly thrilled over something. Whatever it was didn't sit well with Baelfire.<p>

His fingers felt numb as they worked on the ropes. He wasn't quite sure how far he'd make it even if he did make it out of his bonds. He'd never made it far before, but this time they seemed distracted. He wasn't sure that he really wanted to know what had caused that distraction though.

A knot slipped and he felt the the rope give enough that he could work his hands free. He sat in the silence and the dark for a moment, waiting to see if someone would notice. He waited just a few second more after that and then reached down to work on the ropes at his feet with his new freed hands. Those came off quicker, and he popped up immediately and started for the stairs.

The door at the top creaked open and Bae winced, waiting for a repeat of every other escape attempt he'd made. No one came, though, and he inched forward. The door that led down into the basement emptied out into a long hallway and the light from it nearly blinded him. He blinked rapidly, trying to adjust even as he started down the hall. His feet were bare on the carpet runner that covered the wooden floor of the hall and for the first time he realized that he was dressed in the same clothes he'd been wearing when he'd died in the forest after Emma had separated he and his father, save his shoes. He hadn't gotten a fancy robe or anything of the sort when he came up from the vault, but he supposed that people sent down there that _weren't_ the Dark One were never supposed to come back up again. Hell, even Dark Ones weren't supposed to come back up again.

Bae let out a long breath as he reached a corner where the hall turned and forked off into two separate ones. There were rooms now, both completely closed off and partially shut in. He could hear voices down one hallway and was ready to choose the other when he recognized one of the voices, and not from his time as the clerics' prisoner. He couldn't be absolutely sure, so he moved silently closer until he was flattened against the wall next to an opening where it sounded as if two people might be taking tea for all the soft clanking that was going on.

"I know what you're doing here and you would have my full support in it, but Belle is an innocent. You said no one would get hurt."

"We understand your concerns, of course, but you and I both know that we can only go so far to protect the innocents in this. His enchantment in the girl goes so deeply that even she believes that she chose to love him. It may never be broken, and in the end our goal must be reached. The Dark One's curse must be wiped from our worlds. You failed to do that three hundred years ago, and now it's our turn once more."

"You're saying this is my fault?"

Bae held his breath. He knew that voice and he was certain now. Caiden was speaking with the Blue Fairy.

"Not only," Caiden answered, "though you did have a rich opportunity."

"He chose power over the boy. Forgive me if I thought perhaps he hadn't fallen that far just yet. If anyone could have saved him it would have been Baelfire." She paused and from the sound if it she stood and set her cup down hard on a table. No one played the offended role better than the Blue Fairy. "Though I fear you'd know nothing of it. It was well before your time and it wasn't as if you made use of the _twenty-eight years_ that you could have snuffed the curse out in."

There was a pause. "We did not make it through during the first curse."

"Of _that_ I am well aware, though I'm not here to discuss the past, only the present. I understand that you've harness dream magic to turn others against him."

"It was necessary."

"I wish to speak to Magnus on his methods."

"Magnus is not taking visitors currently."

"He _will_ see me."

"Forgive me, Reul Ghorm, but he will not."

Bae wasn't breathing. He was afraid if he did they'd know he was there.

"Then _you_ will tell me how he managed such a feat."

There was a pause and when Caiden did answer, his voice was lowered. "We used blood magic to influence the dreams."

"Impossible. Henry is the only living blood relative that the Dark One has, and I saw the boy not an hour ago. You would have to have the person here to be able to perform such a task." There was a moment of silence before a sharp intake of breath. "You _didn't_."

"The curse must be eradicated at all costs. It is our responsibility. Surely you understand that. We have him now. It's only a matter of time in his weakened state. The Dark One will die and he'll take his terrible curse with him. Perhaps in the end his son really will save his soul, if there's anything left of it."

"Once this is done you must seal that vault forever, do you hear me? Seal it and hope to everything that is good that your own souls are not too tarnished by your actions. Is he here now?"

"Yes. Did you wish to see him?"

"No, I shouldn't think so. Rumplestiltskin and I have a long history, but there is no reason to see him before the end."

Bae heard them shift and he pushed himself away from the wall and moved as quickly as he could down the way without alerting them to his presence. His papa was somewhere in that house and they were planning on killing him. Escape would have to wait. He had to find him first. They'd used him to get to his father and he'd be damned if he let them they succeeded in their goals, no matter who they were or what side they said they fought for.

* * *

><p>TBC<p>

Notes: Well, NaNo is slowly moving forward. If anyone else is on this year, feel free to shoot me a PM and I'd be happy to friend you on it and cheer you on :)

Next time - The search continues and Bae finds his Papa.


	9. Chapter Nine

**Chapter Nine**

"I don't trust her."

Belle glanced back to where Henry was standing bent and reading over her shoulder. Blue had given them the book - really quite useless so far - and had scurried off to handle some business or the other. They had promptly been scooted out of the building itself, but they didn't force them off the property when Belle had reminded them oh - so sweetly that her husband - and therefore she as well - owned the building and the land it was on. They'd been allowed to sit on the porch at the very least after that.

"Blue?"

"Of course Blue," the teen huffed. "She's distracting us. That's the only thing that makes sense."

Belle couldn't really counter that statement so she sighed and closed the book. Her clear eyes turned to Henry who was texting. "Who are you trying to reach?"

"My mom. Regina. She'll be able to track her."

"Surely you don't think that Blue would be behind this, do you?" Belle asked.

"Maybe not behind it, but she definitely knows more than she's letting on. See? Mom agrees." He held his phone up for inspection and Belle giggled despite everything.

"Your mother is biased."

"So is Blue. Mom's tracking her."

Belle's phone buzzed and she saw an unfamiliar number appear and a text an address. Below that it said _Send Henry home and meet us there._ "Well that was fast." She lifted the phone for Henry to see. "Do you know where that is?"

"Here," he said and plucked the phone from her fingers. "Just click on this and it pulls it up on this map here. See? You're not really sending me home, are you?"

"Henry, this could be dangerous."

"And you might need my help. He's my grandpa. We were in this together."

"Operation Sandman. He told me."

"You know I'm just going to tell you in going home and then go anyway."

"Henry!"

"We're wasting time. Grandpa Gold needs us." He still hadn't given her phone back and didn't look like he was willing to as he took off down the icy path.

Belle grumbled to herself again as she followed.

* * *

><p>He was curled on his side on the floor and it was like nothing had changed in three hundred years. As soon as his magic was gone he was reverted back to the trembling, worthless spinner. He had thought he could break the cycle. He had thought he could be brave. He had given his very life for his family, and where had it gotten him? He'd been leashed and caged, his son murdered, and his soul left more scarred than before. There was no better place in life for people like him. He was a villain, and villains didn't get happy endings.<p>

Rumplestiltskin let out a soft moan as he curled into himself. Every inch of him hurt. Silas had taken full advantage of his already battered state to pummel him further. He'd gone quiet, content to step back and watch the once powerful Dark One twitch. Sooner or later his very human body was going to simply give up, and without his magic to heal him, Rumple thought his time might be coming to an end. He hated to do that to Belle and to Henry, but he could at least take a small comfort in the fact that they would most likely be safe once he was gone. These people were after him, not those that he loved. At least that was one good thing about people that were so convinced they were working for some greater good.

"Didn't think it would end like this, did you?" Silas asked, at his side again and he nudged battered ribs with the toe of his boot. "No, you thought you'd kill one if our own and it'd be fun. Not so fun now, is it?"

He was a fast learner, and much like David in the nightmares, it was a waste of breath to argue with Silas, and he didn't have a great deal of breath left.

A hand buried itself in his hair, hauling him up and Silas leaned in close. "I asked you a question."

"A question that has no answer," Rumplestiltskin snarled back. "If you're going to kill me, do it already."

"You don't get off quite so easy, Dark One." He dropped him back to the ground and he hit hard, pain racing through his whole body. He choked, finding the air he was trying to pull in thick and impossible to swallow. His lungs weren't working, and part of his mind reminded him of the dreams and how much like that moment of dying this felt like. It hadn't been so painful when he'd died to kill Pan. The dagger had done most of the work for him.

The door opened somewhere behind them and Rumplestiltskin cringed. Great. Just what he needed. More of them.

"What-?" Silas began, but he never finished it. There was a loud sound like someone being hit and then a thump as he fell to the ground.

Rumplestiltskin tried to turn, but every little movement threatened to drag him under. If he passed out now he was sure that he wouldn't find the strength to wake back up. His attacker's attacker shuffled in and then around where he could see bare feet until he knelt. Dark eyes flickered up to meet a pair the same shade and a laugh managed to escape, riding on a strained breath. He was either dreaming again or he'd already passed out and was gone. "Bae."

"Hey," his son greeted and reached forward, his hand trembling as he brushed hair out of his father's face. "What have they done to you?"

"Killed me, I'd say."

"No. No, not yet."

His hands moved down, easing Rumplestiltskin onto his back and a strangled gasp left the injured man. That's usually what jolted him out of a dream, but he wasn't sure he remembered death hurting quite that badly before.

"Easy, Papa," Baelfire coaxed softly and he laid his hand against the side of his face. "I've got you. There it is. Are these blocking your magic?"

Rumple shifted, trying to get a better look. "Just a dream, Bae. It'll be over soon."

"No, this is real. Papa? Papa, look at me."

The command cut through the fog and Rumplestiltskin hadn't realized he was drifting. He came back to consciousness with a jolt and found that he was being cradled into an almost sitting position, one arm behind his back and the other hand working at the cuff on the wrist closest to it. "I have to be dreaming," he murmured softly and felt the grip on him tighten. "You're gone. She stole you from me. You're gone." He closed his eyes against the hot tears that were streaming down his face and Bae pressed a kiss to his temple.

"I'm right here. They pulled me back to use me. Papa, I'm so sorry. I couldn't stop them from going after you. I tried… I tried to find a way to warn you."

"Pulled you back?" his father echoed, blinking rapidly to clear his vision. The cuff snapped off and Bae shifted behind him, easing him so that he was leaning against the opposite arm and he could work on the other one. Rumplestiltskin could feel his curse stirring just beyond his reach.

"Yeah. I'm not really sure how. All I know is that they've been using me for some kind of blood magic to manipulate dreams."

"Who are these people that can pull the vault to this side and open it?" Rumplestiltskin breathed.

"I don't know, but they're bad news." Bae paused, his fingers that had been working the cuff off moving to pull back his papa's jacket and he let out a startled sound. "I'm so sorry, Papa."

"Not your fault. I'm not… even sure you're really here right now," he chuckled and he thought he heard his son echo it.

"I'm here. I'm not going anywhere."

The second cuff snapped open and Rumplestiltskin felt a surge of power enter him. His back arched and s startled, pained cry forced its way up from his chest and clawed its way out his throat. Bae released him as gently as he could, easing away as magic pulled and knitted wounds together, straightened bones, and closed internal injuries. Quick fixes for major damage such as he had been dealt were painful and often caused more trouble further down the road, but there were times when they were necessary. This was one of those times.

"Papa, we have to go," Bae whispered hurriedly and Rumplestiltskin pushed himself up on shaking arms and looked to the door. One lone cleric stood there, eyes wide and fear etched into every line of his face. He turned to call for help, but the words never left his mouth as his eyes grew a little wider still and the Dark One pulled straight from his curse.

The young man never stood a chance. He slammed hard into the wall as Rumplestiltskin pulled himself to his feet, the fact that his outstretched hand was trembling doing nothing to soften the blow. His body was weak, but now his magic wasn't. He slammed him again and again, bones shattering, splintering his limbs at odd angles and it wasn't until he felt a hand on his shoulder and his son's voice reached his ears that he stopped. "We have to go."

He looked back and he was quite certain he'd lost his mind, but he nodded anyway.

"Can you teleport us out of here?"

"Not through these wards," he answered breathlessly. Apparently that had taken more out of him than he realized.

"Can you make it on foot?"

"I'm going to have to. Do you know where the door is?"

"Not a clue, but I bet we can find it."

Rumplestiltskin felt his chest burn as they started forward at a faster pace than his body seemed pleased with. His magic allowed him to push forward though, cloaking the wounds that he'd have to deal with later. They were closed enough that he wouldn't bleed out in their escape, but the fact that he'd already lost so much blood made the hallway spin as he stumbled into it.

Bae reached out, his hand taking hold of his papa's arm and holding him steady. "You okay?"

"No, but we'll deal with that later."

"Can you fight them if it comes down to it?"

Rumplestiltskin paused and turned, studying the man standing before him. It could be a trick. He could be seeing what he wanted to see or the clerics could even be toying with him to make him think his son was there. They could be leading him to the slaughter - not that they needed to lead him to it - or anything number of other terrible and painful scenarios. His curse whispered warnings through his mind and he struggled to decide. He reached a hand up, thumb tracing the familiar line of his son's cheekbone and his vision blurred again. He didn't care. If he died protecting even the memory of his son, then it was worth it.

"Yes," he managed. "For you, Bae. Yes."

Shouts sounded down the hall and Baelfire took hold of him to pull him along. He was half a step ahead of him when they hit the end of the hall and pushed through the door that led into a foyer. The door leading to the outside was just ahead, and it seemed to easy. Something about this was too easy. "Come on," Bae urged and pulled at him.

_Behind_, his curse warned him and he threw a shield up as quickly as possible. Power slammed into them, knocking them both back hard and Rumplestiltskin knew who their attacker was. He struggled to sit up, hearing Bae curse and groan a few feet away, and Magnus moved closer. "We would have returned you to your life in thanks for your service, Baelfire," he said as Bae picked himself up slowly.

"I'd rather die again then help you kill my father," he growled dangerously.

"Very well. Then I will free both of your souls."

The next wave hit hard and it was everything Rumplestiltskin could do to protect them from the brunt of it. They were so close, and if they could cross the threshold of the wards he thought they'd have a chance, but his legs wouldn't carry him. "Bae, go," he whispered. "Please go."

"I'm not leaving you here."

"You have to."

Bae looked at him with that same expression he had when he was young. It was the one that said he wouldn't be swayed, no matter the cost. "Tough. I'm not going to." He reached out and without warning he hauled his papa to his feet, reaching for the door and they were picked up into the air and thrown through it by the next burst of power. Instinct carried magic and survival fueled it as they broke through the wards and disappeared.

* * *

><p>Henry didn't need the phone's gps, but Belle did. She kept up with him reasonably well as they took a shortcut through the woods. He knew that they might find anything when they reached the house that Regina's quick tracking spell on Blue was leading them to. His grandpa might not be there at all. They had no real proof that the lead fairy had anything to do with it, nor that she would be fool enough to go directly there when she knew that they were all looking for Rumplestiltskin. But on the other side of possibilities, she could be leading them right there. He could be hurt worse than when they took him, and if he was, they couldn't waste any time.<p>

The sense of urgency pushed him forward and when he felt a hand close in on his upper arm he was so focused on the path before him that he jumped and spun. Belle released him immediate, stepping back and raising her hands. "Hey, just me."

"Right. Sorry."

"Listen, Henry, we don't know what we'll find when we get there. You'll need to keep back. Your grandfather would never forgive us if you got hurt."

"He'd forgive you. He loves you."

"He loves you too. For his sake. Please?"

Henry huffed an irritated breath as Belle's phone buzzed in his hands, Regina alerting her that Emma, David, Mary Margaret, and Robin were moving closer to the house. She turned towards the teen, an explanation falling from her lips in hopes that she could persuade him. They were going to go in and rescue Rumplestiltskin while Henry was to wait and make sure they all came out of it alive. That was her plan, and while she assured him that it was an important part to play look out - and Belle probably thought it was - Henry couldn't find it in himself to agree. It might be silly, but this was his and his grandpa's operation. If he couldn't be a part of pulling him out of danger, what has he really contributing to it? What would a powerful sorcerer like Rumplestiltskin see in his less than powerful grandson other than a frightened little boy who'd come crying to him over a bad dream?

A strange feeling, almost like electricity, cut though the air, followed closely by a loud crash. Henry startled, almost dropping the phone, and turned to meet Belle's uneasy gaze. "Henry, don't-" she tried, but he tossed the cell back to her and took off in a sprint towards the sound. His tennis shoes crushed brittle leaves and slammed into piles of snow on the ground, but he didn't stop. That had been magic, he was certain of it, and where magic was in Storybrooke, Rumplestiltskin often wasn't far behind.

Henry hit the top of a hill and saw two figures piled halfway down. He started forward just as one started to sit up, hand going to his head like the world was still spinning. The teen couldn't quite see his face, but that didn't seem to matter when he did recognize the second figure's tattered coat. "Grandpa!" he called, gaining the attention of the second man and he turned to face him. Henry froze, his breath leaving him in a rush. "_Dad_?"

* * *

><p>When he'd been young, Baelfire hadn't understood his papa's sudden and intense reliance on magic. It had been so overwhelming that he'd been certain that his father had been lost to it, consumed by the demon that eventually had let him go when he fell through the portal. Their time together rescuing Henry from Neverland had given him a glimpse of the man he'd known, but it was the time they'd spent after Rumplestiltskin had tried to save him from his own hasty actions that really proved that his papa had survived under the curse. He still wasn't certain how the spell had worked, but for a time they'd shared a mind, and in that admittedly bizarre experience they'd come to understand one another again.<p>

Understanding did many things, but it did nothing to wash away the nauseated feeling that always clung to Bae after teleporting.

He sat up slowly, his head spinning and he wondered if he'd hit it coming through. He thought he heard something through the haze, but it was the familiar voice that said, "Dad?" that caused him to turn a bit too quick, stumbling to his feet as he did. Henry was already flying down the hill, eyes wide and fixated on him. His papa was coming to where he lay on the ground and Bae caught Henry fully in his arms, pulling his boy close. Thin arms wrapped around his neck tightly. "Dad," he managed again and Bae heard tears shaking his son's voice.

"It's okay, Henry," he managed, his own voice trembling as well. He'd never thought he would have a chance to see him again. He'd had such precious, little time with him before it all came to an end.

Henry pulled back just a little. "What about Grandpa?"

"I'm fine," Rumplestiltskin said from where he was finally making it to his feet.

Belle, who Bae hadn't even seen come up behind Henry, steadied his papa as the elder man swayed dangerously. Those clear blue eyes focused in on him and she smiled through the confusion written across her face. "Hello, Bae."

"Hey. It's...a long story," he managed and felt Henry looking up at him.

"I can imagine," Belle answered. "Rumple?"

"I'm alright, dear," Rumplestiltskin answered her as she tightened her grip on him.

Bae finally released his son just enough to take a step forward. "Papa..."

Dark eyes met his own, and he knew his father's mind was working through all the problems at hand, and there were more than a few. "You said they were using you for some form if blood magic?"

"For the dreams. Yeah. I think they made it so that you were the center of them."

"Of course," his papa breathed. "But how did they pull you from the vault?" He shook his head as if banishing the thought. "No, that's not important now. We have time for that."

Bae frowned and he felt Henry's worried gaze on him. He tightened his grip in a hug before finally releasing him in full and inching forward. Rumplestiltskin, while on his feet, looked like he might pass out at any moment. He swayed dangerously, but seemed too fixated on the problem to notice. He reached forward to steady him as Belle's phone began to buzz and she smiled her thanks as she took the call. "Regina? We found him."

"Hey, we're out," Bae said softly. "It sounds like some if the others were helping Belle and Henry look for you. Let's regroup and get you some help-"

"I'm fine."

"Yeah, you look great right now. Should I stop balancing you to test the theory?"

His father shot him a glare, but Bae couldn't help but smile a little. His papa had always been stubborn and focused. It was good to see his death hadn't completely shattered him. "I'm missing something," he snapped and his knees gave a little.

Bae wrapped his arms around him as they sank to the ground together. "Hey. You're fine, huh?"

"They're on their way," Belle announced softly. "They're right by here."

"He hasn't been sleeping," Henry offered. "The nightmares have kept us awake."

Not to mention the injuries he'd sustained, Bae thought, but he had no wish to make his son worry more. He had no idea how badly hurt his papa had been before the clerics had finally gotten ahold of him, but the worst of it looked far too much like a wound caused by a sword. If the dreams had become reality, they needed to get him to someplace he could get help.

Henry's voice seemed to pull his father into action, though, and he looked directly at him. "Of course."

"Of course what?" Bae asked.

"Henry, what are you doing here? You're supposed to be home," Regina's voice snapped through the woods before she came into view.

She was followed closely by Robin Hood whose eyes grew wide when he spotted Bae. "_Baelfire_?"

"I couldn't let them hurt him!" Henry argued as his other mother and grandparents slipped through the low hanging brush with Ruby in the lead. All gazes swiveled around, eventually landing on Bae.

Emma's was the one that cut through them all, her voice small and almost hurt as she whispered his name. Bae's mind snapped back to Neverland and the Echo Caves where she'd told him her secret. She'd wished that he'd been dead. It would have been easier. In that moment, even in the shadows of the forest, he saw that same confession in her eyes.

His father's sharp and irritated voice pulled his attention around. "By all means, Regina, let your current insecurities over who will take your son from you next stop me from saving his life."

"What the hell are you going on about?" she growled and looked ready to lob a fireball at him herself.

"_Look_," he snapped and when her eyes fell on Henry she seemed to see something that Bae could not.

"Can you stop it?" Regina asked tightly.

"I need time."

"Grandpa?" Henry asked nervously. "What's going on?"

"Nothing I can't fix," Rumplestiltskin said with a strained smile. He reached a hand out to him. "Do you trust me, Henry?"

"Definitely," the teen answered.

"_Rumple_," Regina snapped.

Emma stepped forward, finally shaking off the shock enough when Henry's wellbeing was in question. "What the hell is going on, Gold?"

Rumplestiltskin didn't seem to be paying any of them any attention. Bae couldn't help but feel like his papa and Regina could see something he couldn't. He squinted, feeling a little foolish, but the faintest lines began to shimmer. They were wrapped all around Henry, tightening around his wrists and ankles. They were wrapped around his middle as well and as Baelfire watched he saw more joining and the strands were growing taught, like someone was about to pull him away.

"Papa?"

"Quiet, Bae," he said tightly, and Bae's mouth snapped shut to let him concentrate. Rumplestiltskin's dark eyes slipped open to focus on Henry. "This may hurt," he warned.

"I trust you," Henry said again.

Baelfire had to bite his tongue as his son gave a sharp cry and those strings tightened. Rumplestiltskin had a grip on him, though, and as they tightened enough to draw a thin line of blood across one of the teen's cheeks, Bae's papa gathered him fully into his arms, hugging him tightly to him and glaring at something unseen beyond. "Did you think I'd make it easy for you?" he growled out through clenched teeth.

"I will admit that we expected you to choose your immediate needs over the boy and any damage we could do with him," a voice that Bae knew well filled the space in which they stood and Caiden appeared there, dressed in robes as his master usually was. His face was the same careful mask that hid any emotion he might be feeling securely behind it.

"_To_ him. I won't let you harm my grandson," Rumplestiltskin snarled and Bae heard Henry make a muffled sound as the strings gave a pop loud enough for those that weren't magically inclined to hear and the teen slumped in his grandfather's arms for a moment. Caiden reacted to it as if the strings snapped back on him and a wince made it through his mask. It had been his magic trying to pull Henry away. "You should tell Magnus to face me himself instead of going after my family to bring me in."

"Your family will never be safe as long as that curse holds tight to your soul," the cleric said even as Rumplestiltskin passed a woozy Henry over to Bae who gathered his son up immediately and held tightly. If they tried anything again, they'd have to drag both of them along. "In the end, it is _you_ that they will need protection from." Then he was gone, a swirl of smoky magic pulling him away.

"Well that was kind of crazy," Ruby murmured, breaking the silence that followed the abrupt departure. "Anyone want to fill us in?"

"Neal, it's not that we're not thrilled to see you, but you died. We _buried_ you. How are you here?" Mary Margaret asked, eyes fixated on him like she'd seen a ghost. Well, Bae supposed she sort of had.

He didn't have a chance to answer the question, though, as Belle's startled voice called out his father's name. Bae looked over just in time to see Rumplestiltskin's eyes rolling back and his knees giving way under him as if everything he'd been using to keep him on his feet had suddenly hit its end. Belle didn't make it to him in time and he collapsed in a heap on the ground.

* * *

><p>TBC<p>

Notes: Anyone else wondering if they're setting Rumple up to be the Big Bad for the next half of the season? The thought is definitely bouncing around my head after last night's episode.

So, it will depend on how writing goes this week with balancing NaNo, but this may be the only update. I will try to update on Thursday too, but we'll see.

Next time - Emma tries to work through the fact that Neal is once again back in their lives while Bae confronts the Blue Fairy about what he heard.


	10. Chapter Ten

**Chapter Ten **

Emma felt like her world was crashing down, and she wasn't entirely sure that she wasn't dreaming. Henry was coming back around by the time that they got he and his paternal grandfather down to the hospital and it was a chore to get him to let Whale look him over. Both Emma and Regina had remained at his side while they waited to keep him on his best behavior until the doctor could let them know everything was okay.

"I did a quick scan while we were waiting on him," Regina said as she handed the blonde a cup of coffee. "Whatever they were trying to do to him, Rumple managed to stop it."

Emma sighed, the back of her head thumping softly against the wall she was leaning against. Whale was in there now that he'd finished with Gold - who, apparently, was still out cold - and she and Regina had been ushered out. Neal, thankfully, was with his father who seemed to be in much worse shape. She wasn't sure she could take that talk. Again.

"So what was it you and Gold saw, anyway?"

"Threads. Very thin, very fine, but very strong. They were going to pull Henry away."

"Why?"

Regina shrugged, sipping on her own coffee. "My best guess? They were using some sort blood magic to make Rumple the recipient of the aggressions. With Henry they could continue it."

"Belle said something about clerics?"

Regina looked thoughtful at that. "Rumple tended to stay away from the sort. They're usually not powerful enough to cause people like us any trouble, but..."

"But that was in a land _with_ magic," Emma pointed out. "Could they do more damage to him here than they did there?"

The former Evil Queen gave her a funny look that made the savior start to backpedal. She'd said something stupid again and was about to find herself at the sharp end of Regina's wit. It was that same blank look she gave before ripping whatever idea the younger woman had to shreds, but this time her eyebrows rose. "You may be onto something."

Emma blinked. "What?"

"Don't make me repeat it, Swan."

"Emma?"

She turned, resisting the urge to sigh as Killian Jones moved down the hallway with more haste than the nurses seemed to like. She'd been hoping Neal would hold off coming down that way until she was sure that she wouldn't lose her composure, but she'd forgotten about Hook. Completely and utterly forgotten about him. This was most certainly not her day.

"I heard the lad was in the hospital. Is he hurt?"

The door opened and Whale stuck his head out. "I'll let you handle this one," Regina said as she turned and entered the room.

"He's… okay, I think," Emma managed. "Regina said she checked him over before we got him here and he was already awake before Whale got back there. He's just tired now."

"Were they after him then? Who are they?" He reached forward with his good hand and she tried not to let her chest tighten too much when he took hers. "I want to help in any way that I can."

"It's a… family thing, Killian. I think we've got this covered." He wasn't a bad guy. He said stupid things sometimes and drove her nearly to fighting, but in another life, if things had happened differently, he was exactly the kind of guy that she would have gone for. He was… safe. The kind she wouldn't get tied down to. Or at least she'd thought he was. He certainly seemed willing to be tied down. Eager, even. She couldn't miss the hurt in his eyes and she felt a little guilty.

"Of course. Right. I'm sure you need space."

"Henry Mills will be right around that corner there," a nurse's voice floated in and Emma turned. Well, this was going to get messy pretty fast.

"Bae?" Killian managed. Apparently no one had told him about Neal's return from the dead.

Neal froze mid-step. "Killian," he answered tightly, eyes traveling between them. He pulled in a deep breath, nodded, and forced a smile that only made Emma feel more guilty than she had before. He turned to her slowly and he'd always been terrible at covering up his emotions with her. Betrayal wasn't quite the right word for it, but it was something awful close. Those brown eyes that she'd melted into more than once locked onto her and jerked a thumb in the door's direction. "Henry's room?"

"Yeah. Regina's in with him right now."

"Have you been in to see him?"

"Yeah, pretty much until Whale walked in, but Killian and I were… talking."

He quirked a disbelieving eyebrow. "Yeah. Good to see you both. I'm going to-"

Killian reached out, latching onto his arm and holding him there. "Is it really you?" he whispered. He'd been affected by Neal's death, Emma had known, but if he was as torn up as he sounded now about it, he'd never given that impression to her. He'd said his goodbyes and then he'd moved on. He'd expected her to do the same, from what he'd told her that morning. Was it really that morning? She glanced down at her watch to see that they were quickly approaching nighttime.

"Yeah," Neal answered shortly.

"How?"

"I really don't know?" he answered, though it sounded like more of a question than an answer. "Listen, my kid almost got taken by some crazy clerics that have been holding me and my dad's hurt because of them. I really don't have time right now, so… You two have a good talk. Or whatever."

Emma felt her face heat up as he ducked into the room Henry was in, dodging Whale on the way out, and Killian turned back towards her. "He was _dead_."

"Yeah. That seems to happen a lot in his family," she answered. "The whole dying and coming back thing."

"This wasn't just a misunderstanding, Swan," Killian pressed. "He was dead. We put dirt over his casket. You said he died in your arms."

"Well there he was. He's not a ghost, Killian. What? Are you upset he's here?"

"No! I just… What sort of dark sorcery can pull a man from his grave?"

"I'm sure we'll find out eventually. Neal was right. We need to check on Henry. I'll let you know when I know more about what's going on." She ducked around him and into the room. It was time to focus on her son and nothing else.

* * *

><p>Henry had sat through ever poke and every prod and he was tired of it. Emma and Regina had both told him that his grandfather was going to be just fine, but he hadn't seen him at all. Nor had he seen his dad, but he was almost afraid to ask in case it had all been a dream. It'd been harder to tell them apart lately, even for him.<p>

The door cracked open and Dr Whale motioned for Regina to enter. She made a beeline for Henry who was sitting on the bed with his knees pulled up nearly to his chin. His mother wrapped an arm around him and pulled him close. "Well?" she asked as if she didn't already know. He'd felt her magic as it had washed over him, even before he'd fully made it back to consciousness.

"Everything seems to be fine with the exception of needing some sleep, though that seems to be going around lately. He should be good to go home."

"He won't tell me anything about Grandpa Gold," Henry pressed, hoping to get more information out of Regina at least.

"That's because he's focused on you," his mother said with a strained smile.

"Have you been to see him?"

"Not yet. I'm sure he's-"

"Just fine. I know. You said that last time. You don't know of you haven't seen him. He was hurt. I saw it. It wasn't a dream. It was real this time!" He could hear himself spiraling, but couldn't quite find a way to stop it.

Regina pulled him close. "I know, sweetie."

"I _told_ you they could hurt him."

"I know. I should have listened to you, Henry. You were right."

Part of him felt a little silly as the tears rolled down his cheeks, but he was too tired to care. He heard the door open and close again and he assumed that Dr Whale was leaving them alone. "Mom?"

She hugged him closer. "Hmm?"

Henry paused, not sure he wanted to risk the question. Finally he let out a small sigh. "Is my dad really back?"

Regina kissed the top of his head. "Why don't you ask him yourself?"

The teen sat up quickly and saw Neal standing by the door, looking more than a little awkward. "Hey, buddy," he greeted.

"Hey."

"How're you feeling?"

"I'm okay I think," Henry said as Emma slipped in behind Neal and worked her way to the other side of the room without actually making eye contact with him. "Is Grandpa Gold okay?"

His dad's lips twitched downward. "He will be," he said slowly. "Whale said earlier that his magic seems to be catching up with the injuries. There's no way to know when he'll wake up though."

Neal was worried, but at least _someone_ was being honest. "Can I see him?"

Emma started to argue, but it was Regina that cut in. "Whale did clear him."

"You feeling okay, kid?" his other mother asked pointedly and he heard the unspoken promise. _Don't lie. I'll know. _

"Yeah, I think so."

"Well why don't you put your shoes on and we'll walk down there?" Neal offered. He glanced at both of Henry's mothers. "I'll keep an eye on him."

Henry didn't waste any time as he piled off the bed, grabbing for his shoes in the corner. He was out the door before either of his moms could change their minds and slowed only enough to let Neal take the lead to his grandpa's room.

* * *

><p>She'd barely left his side since they'd brought him in. He hadn't stirred once between the forest and the hospital, and even now he laid still against the white sheets. The glamour spell had washed away, his magic focused on healing him now, and she had done what she could to keep the others out. He wouldn't want them to see him like this. She knew her husband. He would see it as a weakness.<p>

Belle leaned forward, brushing a strand of grey-streaked hair from his face with her free hand. Her other hand was wrapped around his and she lifted it to her lips, pressing a kiss to the back of it. "I love you," she whispered. "And I'm not losing you again. I won't let you go." He didn't stir and she felt her heart sink just a little. She'd lost him too many times, and though she'd sworn to fight for him she wondered if she could have fought a little harder each time. Now, though, she refused to lose him again. No matter what these people tried to do, no matter how they tried to steal him away, they'd have to come through her first. He'd protected her, sometimes when she didn't even want him to, and now it was her turn. She'd do whatever it took to make sure that they were together in the end. They'd struggled too hard to lose now.

A soft knock at the door pulled her attention and Bae offered a small smile as he pushed it open. "Hey. Any change?"

"No, not yet. I think we're still just waiting."

He stepped in, followed closely by Henry and Belle felt a smile tug at her lips. "Hello there."

"Hi," Henry answered, though he barely looked at her. Instead his dark eyes were fixated on Rumple.

Belle squeezed her husband's hand in her own and stood. "Why don't you sit with him for a moment?" she offered and Henry nodded.

Bae's gaze remained on his father and his son a moment and Belle touched his arm as she moved passed him. He seemed to understand and reluctantly followed her outside, the door closing behind him. They hadn't had much time to talk between the nurses and doctor and the chaos of what had happened. The last Belle had seen him at any length was when they'd traveled through the snow to find a way to bring back a man they both loved. He'd collapsed in the shop shortly before those actions finally caught up with him, and she had thought she would never see him again. They had buried him and cried over his grave together. Rumple had mourned so deeply, so completely for him, that it almost frightened her to see him now. She knew what it would do to her love if Bae was torn from him again.

Belle reached for his hand without giving him any warning, flipping it palm upward. He tensed at the sudden action, but didn't pull away as she took in his scarred palm, the markings of the curse that had dragged his soul down the the vault in place of his father's etched there. It wasn't welted and red as it had been when it finally took him, though, and she felt a glimmer of hope as she looked up at him. "How?" she managed, her voice trembling and Belle felt her own exhaustion weighing heavily against her.

Dark eyes so like his papa's stared at her and then finally fell to the scar. "I don't really know," he admitted softly. "I was there and then Magnus and his clerics dragged me up. I'm guessing they had to send someone down in my place, but I don't know." He paused, lips thinning out in a grimace. "Blue might, though. I think she has something to do with all of this. She was at the house where they were keeping us. The same place they pulled the vault up from."

"Henry and I visited her earlier today and thought she was acting a bit suspiciously. That's who we were following when we found you and Rumple. Is it... permanent?" Belle asked, and she hated the question.

"I sure as hell hope so," Baelfire grumbled, pulling his hand back to rub at the scar. "I'm not going back there, and I'll be damned if Papa goes either." He tried for a smile and motioned to the ring on her left hand. "Looks like a lot happened while I was away."

"A lot has, yes," she answered, her voice soft and a little unsure. After everything they'd wasted no time in it and she wondered now if Bae was okay with that.

"Welcome to the family," Baelfire said before she had a chance to ask, and while his smile still held all the worries of things to come, she thought it was true.

A small laugh escaped her as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "Welcome home," she said in return and her husband's son returned the hug.

"Good to be home," he chuckled when they released each other.

The door opened and Henry stuck his head out. "Grandpa's awake," he said. "He's asking for both of you."

"We'll be in in just a second, buddy," Bae promised his son.

"Well hurry up. He's missed you almost as much as I have."

Belle tried to stifle a laugh. "Both of them _have_ missed you," she offered and Bae grinned.

"And I missed them. More than I thought I could. Listen, about Blue… I know Papa needs to know, but I think maybe we should wait until he's on his feet."

They had promised no more secrets, but Bae had a point. They both knew that he'd pounce on the situation as soon as it was mentioned and likely wouldn't even wait until they had the whole story. The hatred he held for the lead fairy ran deep. Rumple blamed her for much, and what he couldn't blame her directly for, he often thought she was planning something else that he hadn't yet discovered. Perhaps, though, he wasn't that far off from the truth if what Bae had said was exactly as it appeared.

Belle pulled in a deep breath and her eyes focused the elder man. "We promised no more secrets between us. Rumple's kept his end of it. I need to too, if I want him to trust me."

Bae nodded slowly. "Fair enough, but it's not going to make it easy."

"It never is," she answered with a shrug. "But that's why he has us."

* * *

><p>He woke up surrounded by white walls and beeping machines, and his first conscious thought was that he was going to make whoever put him there suffer. Terribly.<p>

Rumplestiltskin _hated_ hospitals. Part of it he knew stemmed from his cursed memories that belonged to Mr Gold and his experience with hospitals and the painful event that had been created to explain the limp. The other was the confining nature of them and the constant surveillance. If he was injured or ill enough that he'd passed out for someone to take him, the last thing he wanted were a bunch of strangers hovering.

"Grandpa?"

Rumplestiltskin's gaze moved sluggishly to his right where he found Henry sitting there. He was leaned forward, like he had been trying to decide if the elder man were waking or not. "Hey there," he greeted, finding his throat raw and voice scratchy. He started to reach his hand out to the boy only to find it already filled.

"They wouldn't let me come see you till now," the teen said quietly.

"Well," his grandfather answered, "I haven't been awake until now." That brought a small smile to his lips and Rumplestiltskin felt a small twinge of victory.

"I'm glad you're okay. You really freaked us out when you disappeared like that."

Rumplestiltskin relaxed a bit back into the pillows, watching his grandson carefully. Belle had told him how his death had appeared to them at Storybrooke's end, when he'd dug the Kris Dagger into Pan's back and straight through so that they fell together. He'd simply disappeared, his wife had told him. They'd known he was dead, but he'd been swept away in a swirl of magic. To a teen that had been through so much already, this might have looked much the same. He offered him a tired smile. "I'm not going anywhere, Henry," he promised.

"I know. We have to see Operation Sandman to the end."

"Yes, I believe we do, and perhaps beyond that."

Henry grinned. It was a tired smile, but wide. "You're pretty much stuck with us, Grandpa. This family doesn't let each other go very easily."

Dark eyes flickered to the closed door. "No, I suppose we don't."

"You want me to get Dad and Belle?"

He'd wondered if Bae had been a dream, a desperate attempt for his mind to cling to something that would encourage him to keep on living. Henry seemed to indicate that he was just out the door though. He and Belle. Suddenly he had an overwhelming need to see them both and prove that something good might find its way out of all of this. "If you would?"

He nodded and popped his head out the door. Rumplestiltskin eased himself up as best he could. His whole body still ached, but it wasn't the drowning kind of pain he'd been in. His magic was neatly knitting him back together. It might take a day or two to push back the exhaustion that almost dying brought with it, but he would live. He would also get to the bottom if all of this and make Magnus and his little clerics pay dearly.

Bae and Belle walked through the door a few moments after Henry and Rumplestiltskin tried to keep his emotions under control. Bae offered him a crooked smile and Belle moved to the bed to take his hand. "Hey," he greeted softly.

"Hey yourself. How are you feeling?"

"Bit like I've been run through," he murmured, but the quip only earned him a glare. She looked exhausted and in that moment his heart clenched painfully for her. "Sweetheart, I-"

She didn't let him finish before she leaned down and her lips covered his. He could feel all of her desperate worry and fear mixed with the rush if True Love in the kiss and he reached up, fingers in her hair even as they finally broke. Tears were in her eyes and he swallowed hard. "I'm sorry."

"I love you," she said in return. "And you are not allowed to leave me alone."

A soft chuckle worked its way out if him. "Never," he agreed. He glanced past her to where his son was ushering Henry towards the door. "Bae?"

Baelfire stopped and turned. "You two looked like you might need a minute and we were... Papa?"

He didn't know if they had him on some sort of painkillers or if it was simply that he couldn't quite wrap his mind around his son being alive, but Rumplestiltskin couldn't let him walk out that door and out of sight. He struggled to sit up better, ignoring Belle's arguments as he started to detach himself from monitors and an IV. Bae crossed the space between them and rounded the bed to take hold of the hand that Belle hadn't grabbed yet. "Stop. I'll stay. All you had to do was ask."

He was trembling now, and he looked between his wife and son. "This is real?"

Belle's soft laugh met his ears. "Yes. It's real."

All at once his energy left him, washing away and leaving him drained. "You'll stay?" he murmured, his voice softer than he would have liked.

"One or both of us will be here with you," Belle promised. He felt her press a kiss against his forehead as sleep reached up for him.

He blinked against it and now he was certain that Whale had given him something. Rumplestiltskin would have much preferred to have gone home, and had he not been losing his battle against sleep he would have done just that. It was a losing battle, though, and all he could hope was that when he woke, Bae would still be alive.

* * *

><p>Henry had refused to leave the hospital the night before and Baelfire hadn't had the heart to make him. Dr Whale had cleared him from a medical standpoint and Regina had been certain that the boy's grandfather had untangled him from the web the clerics had tried to weave. He was safe - as safe as he would be until this was over - and she'd been surprisingly supportive of him staying. More so than Emma, who had ducked out of the hospital without ever dropping by the room. It was early the next morning now and Henry had stepped into the hall to take a call from his blonde mother.<p>

Belle had given up at some point in the night and had curled up next to Rumplestiltskin. She was sleeping there now, her head resting against his chest as if she didn't trust herself to wake without immediate proof of his survival. Bae couldn't blame her. He'd finally drifted off in the chair he's pulled right up to the side of the bed at least for a little bit until he'd been startled out of a nightmare by the sound of his son's phone buzzing.

His papa was still sleeping and Belle didn't stir. Henry's quick "hey, Emma," had been the only clue he had as to who the call was from, but as he walked out of the room he didn't look happy.

Bae stretched, feeling the aches that came from sleeping slumped in a hospital chair, and eased himself up and as quietly as he could toward the door. Henry had left it cracked and he was leaned against the far wall of the hallway with an aggravated expression on his face. "Grandpa's not even awake. Gramps won't be able to talk to him." He paused, his brows drawing together on frustration. "I get that, but I think you should bring it by. Dad's- Okay. Fine." He glared at the phone as if it were its fail he was offended as he hung up.

"Let me guess. Your mom doesn't want to see me?" Bae asked quietly.

"She's being stubborn. She'll come around."

A strained smile tugged at his lips. He knew how stubborn Henry's mother was, but he also knew that the walls she hid behind only grew taller and thicker each time she was hurt. He could remember slipping in her arms. He'd asked her to use his magic to do something that would kill him. It hadn't been her fault, but he also wasn't sure that he could come back from it either. In the end, it had saved Henry and the others, and that was worth a hell of a lot to him.

"It's okay, buddy. We'll have time to sort everything out. I'm not going anywhere. I promise."

Henry pushed himself off the wall and flung his arms around Bae's middle in a tight hug. Everything had happened so fast with the clerics trying to steal Henry away and his papa collapsing that he had barely had time to wrap his mind around the fact that he was _home_. When Storybrooke had become home, he wasn't quite sure, but he knew he never wanted to leave again.

"I missed you," Henry said after a moment. "I mean... Once I remembered, I guess, but I really missed you."

"I missed you too, buddy. More than I could ever say." He released him so that he could look him in the eye. "I meant what I said. I'm not going anywhere."

"I know."

"And we'll have to help Belle keep your grandpa out of trouble."

Henry laughed. "Yeah. That's a tough job," he chuckled, but the smile faded. "We were trying to find out who was behind the nightmares, but it looks like I wasn't a lot of help. He still got hurt."

"Hey, that wasn't your fault. Magnus is bad news."

"Is that the guy that took you both? How did he bring you back? He has to be really powerful, right? Even Grandpa couldn't bring you back. I know that he would have if he could."

Bae shrugged. "Yeah, I guess he is powerful."

"More powerful than Grandpa?"

He hadn't considered that, if he were honest with himself. Magnus and his clerics had somehow pulled the Dark One's Vault over to the Land Without Magic and had pried it open. Sure, Bae was pretty certain that they'd lost a man or two to it to bring him out - it would almost be impossible not to have - but they'd still pulled it over. He didn't count himself an expert, but he had to imagine that it took a great deal of power, and that wasn't even mentioning the power spent on the spell they'd funneled through him. He still wasn't entirely sure if he'd have any lasting effects from that, but that seemed like something that would need to wait until his papa woke. He felt fine, but that didn't always mean as much as he'd have liked it to.

The hospital had been quiet most of the night and into the morning. Whale had popped his head in once just to make sure that Rumplestiltskin was still alive and just sleeping. The nurses had been surprisingly absent, and Bae wondered if that had to do more with who the patient was than their normal habits. Footsteps sounded down the hall, though, and he turned, expecting to see a nurse finally approaching. Instead, the Blue Fairy froze mid-step where she was, eyes large and fixated on Bae as if she hadn't been expecting him there.

"Go wait in the room," Bae murmured.

"But-"

"Now, Henry," he dad answered tightly, never breaking eye contact with the woman whose voice he'd heard in the house he'd been kept prisoner in. He waited until he heard the door close behind the teen before stepping forward to where Blue was still frozen in place.

Slowly, as if she were willing a mask into place, the fairy smiled. "Baelfire. It's so good to see you."

A frown tugged at his lips. "Is it?"

She blinked at him, unsure of what he meant. "Of course. It was a terrible thing that the Wicked Witch tricked you into, but good does have a way of coming out, even in the end."

Bae snorted, dark eyes narrowing. "I'm really not interested in your lies right now, Blue. I'm not a kid that'll believe anything just because it's coming from a fairy."

"I'm... sorry? Baelfire - Neal? - I'm afraid I don't understand. Perhaps your father has been-"

"I'm curious. Your plan with the bean, were you just trying to get him out of our world or did you know where it would send us? Were you _hoping_ we'd die on the streets there?"

"I really don't understand what you're referring to. Of course I meant to help you and your father. He chose to let you go. For that I am terribly sorry, but perhaps that is something better discussed with him instead of me."

"Funny, because you were discussing what a missed opportunity it was to rid the Enchanted Forest of his curse with one of my captors." He watched her go pale and he stepped forward. "I get that you two don't like each other, but those people were trying to use us to _kill_ my papa. I don't know what you think goodness means, but killing him isn't it."

Blue tried to take a step back. "The situation is complicated, Baelfire. You only have part of the story. Please, if I'd known you had heard that I would have come straight to you to clear the air. I... Magnus has taken this too far."

"You expect me to believe you?"

"No. I'm not so naive as to think so. Though I am certain that you already know how dangerous this is going to be for everyone. Magnus doesn't care who he hurts to reach his goal, and that is not good for anyone. I came here to speak to David. Snow said he was on his way.I wish to help stop Magnus from hurting anyone else. I know a great deal about he and his clerics. Things that even you and the Dark One do not."

Bae watched her carefully. He didn't trust her. She'd been manipulating and twisting things as long as he'd known her and his father had been right about her. Even so, they needed answers, and for as much time as he'd spent with those clerics, he knew precious little about them.

"Will you let me help you, Neal?" she asked softly and he really was beginning to understand his papa's dislike for this fairy.

His eyes narrowed dangerously. "You better be honest with us about this," he said lowly, his voice quiet and threatening. "If you double cross us and any of my family is hurt because of it, Papa will be the least of your worries."

"There's really no need for threats," she answered in a small voice.

"There really is. I haven't told him what I heard yet, but Belle knows you were in the house. He'll know, and you better have made yourself useful by then."

She tried to reach forward, her fingers stopping just short of touching his arm. "Baelfire, you told me once that you wanted your father to be rid of his curse."

"I'm not willing to let him die to do it. You've got to decide how far you're willing to go, and that'll be the side you choose."

He left her standing in the hall and he could feel her gaze following him. It was time that the Blue Fairy stopped playing both sides to her own gain. If she thought ridding the worlds of the Dark One's Curse was worth Rumplestiltskin's life she'd find a few people to go through to get to him. Bae had lost his family too many times now, and he was done with it. He'd fight it with everything he had, no matter who it set him against.

* * *

><p>TBC<p>

Notes: Okay, so twice a week update, but a little late. I had to make sure I was far enough along in the chapter I'm working on. :)

Next time - The origin of the Dark One's Curse is revealed.


	11. Chapter Eleven

**Chapter Eleven**

He was not in his own bed. Belle was curled up with him, but they were not in their room in their own home. Rumplestiltskin blinked several times, clearing the sleep from his eyes and he felt her stir against him a little in her dozing state. He glanced over to see Henry leaned in with Bae, quietly discussing something or the other. It took them a moment to feel his gaze on them, but they looked over together and Bae instantly made a grab for his hand. "Hey, Papa. How're you feeling?"

"Like I want to go home," he replied raspily and felt his son squeeze his fingers. A smile perked his lips despite the lingering pain and exhaustion. "Glad it wasn't a dream though, if it brings you back."

Bae cracked a smile. "Good to be back. I missed you guys."

Rumplestiltskin cleared his throat, willing himself under control. "I missed you too, son."

A soft knock was the only warning before the door was pushed open and David stuck his head in. He looked ready to speak before his gaze fell on Rumplestiltskin and he froze, guilt etched into his features. He stood there for a moment and didn't seem capable if movement until Henry stood. "Hey, Gramps. Mom said you'd be bringing some of my clothes by."

His grandson's voice seemed to startle him out of his thoughts and he blinked. "Hey, Henry. I did. Right here." His eyes never left Rumplestiltskin even when he held up the travel bag for the teen to take, and it was making the Dark One uncomfortable. Emma was nowhere in sight and he wasn't sure if the spell would be entirely shattered without Bae in their grasps. He also wasn't certain he wanted to rely on that hope.

Bae rose at his side and he thought the distrust must have been plastered across his face for his son to react in such a way and he hated himself for such visible weakness. David saw it too and he shrank back a little. "Gold, listen, I don't know how to begin to apologize. I can't even explain what happened. I don't understand it."

"It was a spell, nothing more," Rumplestiltskin answered roughly.

"Well, it was a hell of a lot more to me. I thought you'd killed my daughter and I..." He paused, looking very much like he was trying to grab ahold of his fleeing reality. "I don't know how it all got so confused," he finished in a rush.

Dark eyes narrowed and their owner decided he'd prefer the prince out of his hospital room more than he'd like to handle the situation currently. It was still too close, and this time the pain was lingering. His magic had done quite a bit to put him back together, but it had left him drained and still in no small amount of discomfort. If something went wrong and Magnus' spell snapped back into play, he would be next to useless and trapped in a small room with monitors attached to slow him down. "A spell," he repeated, shifting against his pillows to sit up a bit better and winced as he did. "A nasty one with painful consequences, but many often do."

Instead if taking that and leaving, David entered the room fully and Rumplestiltskin tried to resist the urge to flee the bed. Belle had woken by this point and squeezed his hand and she finally shifted to sit with him, her feet dangling off the edge of the bed so that she could quickly stand if she should need to. "Thank you, David," she said gently. "This has been difficult for everyone. Perhaps we should wait until Rumple's on his feet to regroup for this? A day or two now that they don't have Bae shouldn't-"

"I believe you're underestimating them, Belle," a prim voice that Rumplestiltskin knew well said and the Blue Fairy entered the room, followed closely by Snow White and her daughter. "I'm afraid this can't wait." Regina entered as well with Robin at her side, though she hardly looked interested in standing with the fairy. Instead, she moved over to where Henry was still seated on the other side of his grandfather's bed. The hospital room was getting very crowded very quickly.

"Well, by all means, feel free to just barge in all at once," the Dark One snapped, hiding his discomfort beneath the barbs and he saw his former student roll her eyes, but she wisely declined to say anything.

Bae shifted closer, almost protectively, but it didn't seem to have anything to do with Regina's proximity. He was wearing a glare that Rumple hadn't seen even lobbed in his direction on their worst days. His son looked ready to kill if just the wrong thing was said and that look was aimed so fully at the lead fairy that she was visibly uncomfortable under it.

"We're all waiting for what you know, Blue," Bae said tightly, and even Belle seemed a little startled by his tone.

"Do you know something more than you told us yesterday?" Belle asked softly, but it almost sounded like a prompt rather than a question. Rumplestiltskin logged that back to ask her about later.

"Yes," the fairy answered in a strained voice. "Baelfire is already partially aware and I promised him everything I know to better help you fight your enemy." She looked to Snow, Charming, and Emma. "As I always have in the past."

Snow nodded in her way, fully accepting. "Of course, Blue. Please, these people have hurt us all. We can't protect ourselves if we don't know what we're up against."

_Hurt them all_, Rumplestiltskin thought with a little bitterness working its way in. Funny, he, Henry, and Bae seemed to have taken the brunt of it, and if Henry hadn't been used in it he wasn't sure that the others would have given a damn that he was.

The fairy glanced warily towards Baelfire and nodded. "Of course. Rumplestiltskin, how much do you know about the origins of your curse?"

The Dark One in questioned blinked and felt all eyes turn to him. He'd searched for information on its origins before so that he would be as aware of its limitations as possible, but precious little was known about it. Not that that was overly surprising. The curse bred paranoia and encouraged secrets. He would have gathered any written information about his own curse if he'd wanted to study it or not, just to keep it out of others' hands.

"Rumple?" Belle murmured his name and her clear blue eyes were focused on him, a little worried that he hadn't responded yet.

He cleared his throat and tried to straighten his shoulder back against the pillows, but the movement pulled at injuries and he sucked in a breath that shook more than he would have liked. "Most of it is myth. Curses that stretch back as far as the Dark One's Curse tend to be lost to that sort. It's not like predecessors leave you with a great deal of knowledge."

Blue nodded slowly and he didn't like the look of superiority that flashed across her face. "There's a reason for that, though most Dark Ones have not been quite as… _curious_ as you've proven to be."

His lips twitched at the edges. "Well, my dear, I do believe you are the only person I've ever heard to make the search for knowledge sound quite _that_ distasteful."

Belle made a small sound at his side that was likely a cut off giggle and he heard Bae snort his own laugh. A glance at his grandson showed Henry was grinning at the quip as well and he knew where his trust lay in the room.

The fairy wasn't quite as amused as his family was. She frowned as if she had something to be offended over. "Many, many years ago - centuries before _any_ of your were born - a set of clerics came together with a common goal of ridding our world of some of the darkest magics known to ever exist. These were curses that had rotted men's souls within moments of their casting and had turned entire kingdoms to dust. They were of the mind that our world could not sustain these sorts of magic and that they must be done away with."

"And I'm sure you were right there with them," Regina asked hotly from her place and Rumplestiltskin watched the fairy's reaction as she spoke carefully.

"They did come to me with a wish to rid the world of darkness. The fairies, of course, were willing to help in any way that did not endanger the Enchanted Forest. Perhaps if Magnus had come to me with their final decision, I might have been able to warn them away from such foolish endeavours, but he did not."

"Just how old is this Magnus?" Belle asked curiously, but her husband spoke before Blue could answer.

"Instead of covering your own ass, Blue, let's get on with it shall we?"

The fairy bristled at the tone. "They created a vault to hold the darkness, but when they finished collecting the scrolls and the potions and the darkness and threw it in…"

Images of the Vault of the Dark One danced across Rumplestiltskin's memory and he tried not the shudder visibly. The oozing black depths and the searing pain that was the only existence known within it had been terrible. There were few things that could push him into returning, but with his family now reunited and together, he was quite certain that he would fight his own end and return to it with more fervor than ever before.

"The darkness brewed until it created the curse that is now known as the Dark One's Curse. The curse slipped through a weak point in the vault and took hold of one poor soul traveling through the woods. It didn't take long for Magnus to come to me and together we discovered what happened. He vowed to do away with the curse by killing the man - a sacrifice that while the fairies cannot condone, was deemed necessary - and sent his second, Julius, after the cursed man to free him of it. The cleric took with him an ancient and powerful dagger."

"The Kris Dagger," Rumplestiltskin said softly, and by the expression the fairy wore he knew he was right.

She nodded. "It was not tied to the curse then. Julius drove the dagger into the the cursed man's heart and he _did_ fall, but none of us could have known what to expect next. Magnus and I were both close enough to see the curse reach out, using the power of the ancient dagger to build its strength and take hold. The change was absolute. He had been such a kind soul, but the anger and the darkness overtook him and the corruption of his soul made itself outwardly visible. With it, his powers grew and he laid waste to half the kingdoms in existence at the time. Thousands of people died. The clerics and the fairies each lost a number to him as well, though no magic could bring him down and keep him there. It was many years before a powerful sorcerer gained control of the Kris Dagger and discovered that he could control the Dark One whose name was written there and many years still until someone killed Julius with it and the powers were passed on."

The room had fallen silent as the Blue Fair explained the history behind Rumplestiltskin's curse and Snow White made a small sound even as Emma crossed her arms. "So you're saying that the bastard that's been trying to use us to kill Gold is the same one that started this whole mess?"

"Magnus feels responsible," Blue tried, but the savior cut her off.

"That could be because he _is_," she snapped.

"If they created the vault, that's why they could pull me from it, isn't it?" Bae asked softly and Blue's lips thinned as she nodded.

"Yes, though he would have had to sacrifice one or more of his own people in exchange. As your father has surely taught you, all magic has a price associated with it. Much blood has been shed in their attempts to right their wrongs. I fear… they may have gone too far this time."

"So what? You were trying to kill him when you gave me the bean to go to this world?" Bae demanded. "You were going to use me to kill him then and they were trying to use me to kill him now. It doesn't seem like you're a lot different."

"I merely meant to send the Dark One's Curse to a place it could not be accessed," the fairy defended herself.

"Please," Snow cut in. "We shouldn't fight amongst ourselves. Magnus is, of course, in the wrong here. He's used us to attack Rumplestiltskin and-"

"And what, dearie?" the sorcerer in question asked softly, his voice quiet but even. "I can hardly believe you're suddenly jumping to my defence."

"You're family," she argued. "Of course we are."

"Funny how that didn't seem to matter with Zelena." The words left his lips before he gave himself permission to let them, his control slipping and some of the pain made its way into them.

The princess looked offended, but it was her husband that reached a hand out to quiet her before she managed to say something foolish. "He's right," David murmured and his eyes met the dark ones of the man he'd nearly killed. "You're right. We've called you family when it's convenient, but you _are_ family, even when we don't always agree. Family stands by each other, no matter what. If you'll let us, we'll stand by you now."

Rumplestiltskin met his uncertain gaze and felt Belle reach over to take his hand. "Rumple, we stand a better chance when we work together," she said sensibly.

He loosed a breath he hadn't realized that he'd been holding and nodded. "We do," he answered, his voice trembling just a little. He didn't want to work with these people that had left him to rot not once, but twice in Zelena's cage. The ones that had only wanted to free him to save themsleves, and who seemed to think that calling him family would be enough. There was something in David's eyes, though, that chipped away at his resolve to hate them. These damnable heroes that were so certain of their inherent _rightness_ in every situation… At least one of them knew he'd been wrong this time. "I know we do."

Charming nodded and stepped forward, his hand reaching out. "I'm sorry," he said unsteadily. "I know that doesn't begin to cover it, but I hope it's a start."

"As I said earlier: it was a spell," Rumplestiltskin murmured, suddenly very uncomfortable.

"Maybe not just," the prince answered, "and that's where I was wrong."

"Rumple," Belle urged so softly that he wasn't sure if she'd actually spoken or if he just knew her that well. He felt her gaze on him and he frowned, shifting and reaching his own hand out.

David's expression lighted considerably as he took it as if they were old friends. It didn't mean that things would change immediately, or even that they would trust him after this was all said and done, but he didn't really need them to. Just this once, they were willing to come to his aid instead of demanding something of him, and that was a strange enough turn to leave him without any clever quip or snarky retort. He merely nodded as Charming took a step back.

"Okay, now that we have that out of the way," the prince's brash daughter said, "how do we handle this crazy son of a bitch?"

* * *

><p>Emma was avoiding him. There really was no question in his mind about that. As the discussion continued she never quite met his eyes. Even when he was speaking, her gaze would sweep out across the room, always managing to focus in on someone other than him. Bae kept trying to catch it and she seemed to prefer to focus on the blank wall or the tiles on the floor rather than to meet his eyes, and when they finally broke for lunch - and when Belle finally convinced them to let Rumplestiltskin rest - he hadn't even made the decision to follow behind her until he was halfway out the door, Belle offering him an encouraging smile as he passed by her and after the woman that had held his heart for over a decade.<p>

She stopped when he called her name, almost as if his voice had reached out and taken hold of her as surely as a hand might have, and her shoulders tensed. She didn't turn towards him, though, but remained facing down the hall with her eyes fixated on what might have been an escape route if only she had made it that far. He felt his chest clench painfully as he closed the space, wanting nothing more than to have the woman that he'd loved for over a decade simply to turn and look at him. He'd fought for her, and in the end he'd been willing to die for her. He'd come home for her and Henry, and even if she couldn't love him as he loved her, he _needed_ to see her face, to hear her voice. They'd been so in love once that somehow, for everything that they'd been through, surely she could just look at him. If for nothing else, than for Henry's sake they had to manage something of a friendly relationship. "Emma, wait."

"Not right now, Neal," she managed.

He loosed a breath, trying not to let the pain work its way too deeply into his voice. "Listen, I know you don't want to talk to me right now, and I get it, but-"

"It's not that I don't want to," Emma said tightly, turning just a little. "It's that I don't think I can."

He stopped and the pressure seemed to increase. "What do you mean?" he asked. There was something unsettling in her voice that he couldn't quite place, and he wasn't quite sure he wanted to know what she meant.

When she did turn towards him her expression made him take a physical step back. Her eyes were guarded, but there was an anger there that seemed to be more a wall to hide behind "You can't keep doing this."

Bae blinked, confusion sweeping through him. "Emma, I-"

"You _died_. Again." The words felt like a physical blow and he blinked at her. Her careful mask was shattering now, and it revealed the turmoil that she'd been holding deep inside of her. Her eyes flashed and he thought she might hit him. "And you keep coming back. You keep breaking my heart and coming back just when I think I might be able to move on. Just when I've decided that I have to."

He stood frozen in place, her words cutting like a knife and he pulled in a shaky breath. "Emma, I'm so sorry. I keep… I keep coming back for you and Henry. You're my family. My home."

Emma's mask was broken now and tears spilled from her eyes. "You died and you made _me_ kill you," she snarled.

"Is that what you think?" Bae whispered. Like father, like daughter, they'd both blame themselves for things beyond their control. Beyond their very understanding. "Emma, it wasn't your fault-"

"Yeah? Really? Because I'm pretty sure it was my magic that separated you and Gold and that killed you. You can say whatever you want, but it's true." She pulled in a trembling breath and even as he reached forward she batted his hand away. "I just can't do it anymore, Neal. You keep coming back just when I think I've put you behind me. I can't hurt like that anymore and… and I can't hurt you like that. So let's not try this again. It's… safer that way."

He couldn't make himself move as she turned and he saw all the years of hurt he'd managed to lay on her shoulders as she stormed away. His knees felt weak and he leaned up against the white wall of the hallway.

"She's just scared."

Bae turned. "Henry? I thought you had gone with your grandparents to the diner."

His son shrugged. "You and Mom always need a little help. She really is just scared. She pushes people away when she's scared."

"I know," Baelfire breathed and leaned back against the wall, his head thumping lightly against it. "She's just been hurt too much. I can't blame her."

"You could, but you really love her."

"Yeah, I really do."

"She can't use her magic anymore," Henry said softly. "Zelena did something to take it away. She never told me the whole story, but… Well, even when Zelena died it didn't come back."

"Why?"

Henry shrugged. "I don't know, but it never came back. Could it be because she blames herself?"

Bae sighed, offering his son a tired smile. "I don't know about that. All I know is that I really screwed up, even trying to do the right thing."

"You're here now, and I know you won't go anywhere again if you can help it."

"You really do have the Heart of the Truest Believer, don't you, buddy?" he asked, gathering Henry into his arms. The teen didn't protest, but wrapped an arm around his dad's middle in return.

"Our family does a lot of crazy stuff, but we come back in the end. It's kind of what we do, right?"

"Yeah. It kind of is."

* * *

><p>"You should be resting, you know."<p>

Rumple shot her a glare, but it was hardly one of his worst and Belle found herself giggling at his efforts. He'd seemed close to dozing when the others had left, but once he was quite sure they were gone he had begun to untangle himself from monitors and pulled the IV out that she had somehow convinced him to keep in until that moment. She supposed she should simply be happy he'd obliged her this long.

"You're laughing at me," he pointed out crossly and it only caused her to laugh more as she stood from her chair and took the three steps it took to stand in front of her husband.

Belle held his hands in her own and then reached one hand up to his face. He needed a shave, she thought offhandedly, but other than that he looked much better than he had. A bit tired and a bit worn, but that was to be expected for a man that had nearly died just a very short time before. She didn't dare let herself dwell on that now, though, as she tipped up on her toes and pressed a kiss to his lips. "Yes I am," she murmured against them and he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close.

"Laughing at a dark and powerful sorcerer can be quite dangerous to a person's health, my dear," he murmured softly, his tease playful.

"Well, it's a good thing that I'm married to the same powerful sorcerer and I think he's rather fond of me."

Rumple chuckled and kissed her forehead. "More than fond, I'd say. I do love you."

"And I love you," Belle answered. "There's no way to convince you to stay, is there?"

"I want to go home."

She nodded, knowing when to pick her battles. "It's probably safer there, at any rate."

"Mm. That and there's plenty to be done. This whole event is far from over and I don't trust Reul Ghorm to play one side on this one."

"You think she'll betray us now?"

"I think she'll betray me if she thinks she can keep her pet princess and prince while doing so. The Blue Fairy will do a great many things in the name of the _greater good_."

Belle pursed her lips together and grabbed her bag from the chair. She turned just in time to see him wobble dangerously and she reached out and steadied him. "Rumple," she said softly, all the pleading she promised herself she wouldn't do somehow making it's way into her voice.

"I won't give them time to finish the job, sweetheart," he murmured and kissed her forehead. "Or let them harm those I love any further."

"We'll fight this together," she promised him.

"Together," he agreed as the door opened behind them.

Bae waved some papers in the air. "Thought I'd save you the trouble of arguing with Whale."

Rumplestiltskin snorted. "There doesn't have to be an argument if I simply walk out."

Belle swatted at him gently. "He's just doing his job."

"Really? Because in his own world his patients were more dead rather than living, though he might try."

"Well that's not creepy at all," Bae grumbled as he handed the paperwork over. "He said to sign the last page and you could go."

Rumple didn't bother to look at the paperwork and his wife lifted an eyebrow as a twitch of his finger sent his name sprawling across the line. He shrugged and she didn't complain. Instead she looped her arm through his and held on tightly as they started for the door. She couldn't hold onto him like this forever, and she most certainly couldn't protect him from everything just as he couldn't protect her from everything, but they could try. Their love was a shield, an extra layer of protection around them that would stand between them and their enemies, and these clerics had proven themselves to be their enemies. Belle didn't care what side they claimed to fight on. If they were incapable of acknowledging that there was a man beneath the curse who was struggling to be better, then _they _were the ones that had made themselves the enemies. She would never stop fighting for her love, even if it meant facing off with an ancient set of clerics. She didn't care who they thought they were or what side of good that they claimed to fight on. They would not win this fight.

* * *

><p><strong>TBC<strong>

Notes: Well this was a cray weekend. Updating might be a wee bit off this week and next. Not quite sure yet. I'll do my best to have another chapter up by the end of the week though :)

Next time - The clerics position themselves against the heroes while David and Rumplestiltskin find common ground.


	12. Chapter Twelve

**Chapter Twelve**

"This does not need to end in bloodshed," the Blue Fairy was saying as Henry entered Granny's Diner. His family was already seated in the center with several tables pulled together. Baby Neal had been picked up and was currently snoozing in his car seat between Grandma Snow and Gramps. Robin, who had probably been accepted into the family quicker than Regina had, sat next to her with Roland in her lap, thoroughly distracted by icecream. Emma looked both frustrated and tired, but she waved Henry over to the open seat next to her. At least they weren't going to try to shuffle him off.

"You mean _more_ bloodshed?" David prompted.

Blue made a face like she'd tasted something sour. "Of course. There is no question that they've overstepped many lines in this. The abuse of power and responsibility is severe. Pulling the vault over and opening it here is... Well, we may yet see the dangers that could unleash."

"That really _is_ Neal, isn't it?" Mary Margaret asked. "It's not some trick they're playing?"

"It's really him," Henry said firmly and the lead fairy didn't dare argue with him.

"You don't expect these people just to sit down and have a chat with us, do you?" Emma demanded.

"These are the same clerics that tried to take Henry away," Regina agreed. "Any time that this might have been resolved nicely has passed."

"They want to kill Grandpa Gold," Henry argued. "How can you talk with them about that?"

"You don't know what you're saying, dear," a Blue said softly. "We must come to peaceful terms with them or-"

Regina shifted Roland. "There aren't always peaceful terms to come to."

"But we should try," Mary Margaret argued.

"Snow, they'll be looking for any weakness we present," David pointed out. "And we've already said that we're standing by Gold on this. No matter what he's done in the past, he's family, and he's done a lot to help us. It's our turn to step out on a limb for him."

She nodded slowly, even if her gaze flickered back to Blue. A sigh escaped her. "David's right. Whatever good they may be trying to reach, the won't reach it with Rumplestiltskin's death."

"Is there a way to get rid of his curse without killing him?" Henry ventured.

"If there was, child, we would have long since taken that route," a new voice said and the adults at the table stood so quickly that several chairs fell back.

Emma reached around and pulled Henry back behind her. David took a step in front of all of them with his sword drawn and ready. Tension filled the diner as patrons not involved in the potentially brewing fight scurried out. Ruby came around the bar, her movements slow and dangerous.

Henry recognized one of the two clerics that had appeared so suddenly as the one that had tried to drag him away when they'd lost hold of his dad and grandfather. The other, though, he only recognized from Neal's stories that he'd shared while they waited together for Grandpa Gold to wake in the hospital. He seemed to be their leader, the one that Blue called Magnus, and Henry's father hadn't been exaggerating the level of power that seemed to radiate from the blind cleric. Henry liked to think of himself as brave, but even he wanted to shrink back just a little in the presence of this walking mountain of a man that must have lived for centuries.

"Peace, we have no wish to harm you," Caiden said as his pale gaze swept over Storybrooke's heroes.

"Like hell you don't," Regina growled. "You're not getting anywhere near Henry."

"Henry was merely a means to an end," Magnus stated, his voice rumbling. "One that I don't think we shall need. Surely all of you understand the magnitude of what we've set out to do here. There is a great darkness threatening your town, and we are not it. It is the one that created the curse that brought you here. He has been toying with you like pawns in his game."

"Kind of like you, huh?" Emma growled. "Maybe that's less Gold and more his curse, since _you_ created it."

Well, _that_ caught their attention. Magnus turned what Henry thought was a sightless glare at Blue who did her best not to shrink back. "They needed to know," the fairy managed.

"It was not yours to tell."

"You cannot hope to hide it forever."

Henry glared from his place, feeling his own fears taking a side seat to his need to stand by and protect his family. "We're not going to let you hurt my grandpa."

"You should be grateful, child. A father in exchange for a grandfather is not something you could have done alone."

"You're not taking either one of them."

"Henry," Emma murmured and positioned herself a little more between the cleric and her son.

"He's right," David said firmly. "We're not going to let you anywhere near our family."

"So you'll choose the demon over all else?" Magnus asked, his voice bordering on curiosity.

"He's a bit more than that, I think, but yes."

"And you speak for everyone here? Everyone in the town?"

Henry looked back towards the kitchen where those that hadn't been able to get out the door had gathered. His family might stand by Grandpa Gold now, but the others in the town were just as weary of him there as they were in the Enchanted Forest. There was no guarantee that they would back their prince in this.

"We'll follow David and Snow," Ruby said with her arms crossed and her dark eyes fixed without fear. "Till the end, if it comes to that."

"Very well," the cleric answered ominously and then they were both gone in a swirl of smoke, leaving the diner in the silence that followed.

"Well, at least the lines are drawn," Robin murmured, pulling Roland up and into his arms and breaking the silence.

Henry looked around and resolve was the best description of what he saw. It was amazing how they'd come from so many different places, from so many different angles, but they'd fight together now. It was a long-time coming.

"Someone should get over to Gold's room and fill him in," David said.

"He went home," Henry informed him.

"Or the house," David corrected and glanced at Emma. "Neal's probably over there..."

Henry was certain his mother went a little pale.

"Or not?" Grandma Snow murmured.

"I'll go," Henry said without missing a beat. "Let me grab some food."

* * *

><p>Rumplestiltskin wasn't sure if something was wrong or if he was just being paranoid. Bae had gone very quiet between the hospital and arriving at the three-story, pink house with his papa and Belle, and he didn't know why. Bae's anger didn't seem directed at him, but he could never be certain. He studied his son carefully as they entered the house, Belle releasing his arm only to check the text that came through on her phone.<p>

Bae's gaze swept across the front hall, taking in the house that he'd never actually stepped foot in. Belle had managed to keep it in something akin to order since she'd moved in, never quite allowing Rumplestiltskin to indulge in what he was certain was at least organized chaos, though his wife might have disagreed with the organized part. When the curse had delivered him to Storybrooke it had at least given him things to keep his hands busy, if not his mind. Gold had been bored beyond reason for his twenty-eight years of existence. He'd toyed with people here and there, setting up deals that never really came to fruition until after Emma Swan had arrived and Mr Gold was neatly tucked away, only to be brought out again if Rumplestiltskin needed a facade to throw Regina off his trail. He'd kept busy with his tinkering and his restoration projects that were never quite complete. Those half completed projects were still strewn all over the house, but Belle had found homes for them in shelves and cabinets all around. She'd never asked to throw any out, as Rumple still found himself tinkering when life slowed down. Not that it ever did.

"Quite a place you have, Papa," his son murmured at last and Rumplestiltskin took a step towards him. It had been such a rush of pain and then the chaos with the hospital and then Blue's forced help that standing in his own home with his son there with him seemed rather surreal.

When he didn't respond, Bae turned to look at him and Rumplestiltskin was certain he must have been wearing every feeling splattered across his face in that moment because his son moved forward. "Hey? You okay?"

The words startled him out if his thoughts and Rumplestiltskin tried to regain control of himself. It took only half a moment for him to realize that his control didn't matter as much as Bae being right there and he wrapped his arms around his neck. Bae returned the embrace immediately, and they held into each other as if they shared the fear that the other might simply vanish without warning.

"I'm not going anywhere, Papa," Bae promised in his ear, his voice trembling, and Rumplestiltskin tightened his grip, pulling a strained chuckle from his son. Bae finally pulled back and his papa saw that he wasn't the only one on the verge of a breakdown. He had no idea what all they'd put his boy through, but he was certain that when he found out it would only strengthen his resolve to wipe out each and every one of them. Perhaps he wouldn't bother finding the resolve.

"I know," he said at last. "I know, Bae. I just never... I thought I'd lost you for good."

"Not this time," Bae answered with a small smile.

"Henry is on his way over," Belle announced as she shrugged her coat off. "He says he has news."

"No telling what those idiots have come up with just over lunch," Rumplestiltskin grumbled.

"_Rumple_," his wife admonished and he shrugged.

"There's a reason I was so very involved in both the setting up and the breaking of the Dark Curse. Left to themselves they would have botched the whole damn thing."

Bae snorted and Rumplestiltskin felt a smirk take hold. There would have been a day that his son would have joined Belle in the so-assumed higher ground, but he understood his papa's reasons better now than ever before. Along with that though - because nothing came without a price to balance it - Rumplestiltskin knew the pain Bae had felt through his life. It reached deeper than he could have ever expressed, and he saw a fraction of that in his son's gaze now as the laughter faded and he took to looking around the house again.

He must have felt his papa's gaze on him because he tried for a smile even as Belle moved past them to give them space. Rumplestiltskin echoed the attempt and started past him, motioning for him to follow. "You might as well ask," he stated plainly as he took a heavy seat on the couch and leaned back. Whatever question he had, whatever he needed so badly to express, continued to hang just shy of coming out in the open. Rumple waited a moment to crack an eye back open and saw Bae hesitating where he stood, finding the shoes that someone must have loaned him at the hospital much more interesting than actually meeting his father's gaze. "Baelfire?"

"I don't know what I was expecting," he whispered, his voice soft and hurt. "I mean… I guess I just thought that if I found my way back to her she'd realize I wouldn't leave her again."

"Ah," Rumplestiltskin breathed. "Miss Swan, then."

"Yeah, but I guess I screwed up up, huh?"

"What do you mean?"

Bae snorted a mirthless laugh. "I left her again."

"Bae, you didn't leave her. You _sacrificed_ yourself for her, son. That's… you didn't abandon her. Did she say you did?"

"She didn't have to."

The smile that they'd both tried for became just a little more real for Rumplestiltskin as he stood slowly. Bae started to argue, but he quieted as his papa started to speak. "I'll admit that I _hated_ what you did, Bae. I was frustrated and angry-"

"I know, Papa," Bae breathed, and he really did know how his father had felt just after he'd turned the key to the vault. There'd been no hiding all of that from him once they shared a mind. Everything had been laid bare, but that wasn't quite what Rumplestiltskin meant.

He reached up, the palm of his hand resting on the side of his boy's face and he desperately tried to keep control of his emotions. "I meant because I couldn't save you. I couldn't fix it, even though I told you I would."

"It wasn't your fault, Papa."

"Of course it was, but… But I'm not the only one blaming myself. Emma came in to the shop and asked me if it was her fault. If I blamed her."

Dark brows drew together. "Why would she think so?"

"Because it was her magic."

"That doesn't mean it was her fault. Or yours."

Rumplestiltskin chuckled and leaned in, his forehead touching his son's. "We missed you, Bae. Losing someone you love leaves a hole, you know that, and if you let the darkness fill it, there's no telling what sort of nightmares it'll bring. Those clerics had no idea what they had when they pulled you from that vault. I doubt they expected there to be such a connection even without blood ties, but…" He pulled a steadying breath in and looked the younger man in the eye. "The guilt tied Emma to the center of the dreams as surely as it did me."

"It's not your fault, Papa."

"Nor is it yours. Or Emma's. Zelena took you and she paid the price for it. Give your Miss Swan time. She comes from a line of stubborn."

Bae snorted a laugh. "Yeah, I guess she does. Me too, though."

"Give it time, Bae. True Love only grows stronger the harder you fight. If it came easy, it'd be a weak, worthless little thing, wouldn't it?"

"I guess you're right."

"You guess?" his papa teased and Bae grinned, but any retort he had was cut off by the sound of the front door opening and Henry calling out.

"Dad? Grandpa? I've got lunch!"

"Granny's," Bae grinned. "Definitely didn't have _that_ in the vault."

"You remember it?"

"Don't you?"

"Yes. I just try not to."

Bae started forward and Rumplestiltskin reached out, catching him by the wrist. "How are you feeling?"

"Me? I'm not the one that got run through by David."

"But you are the one that spent time in the Vault of the Dark One," Rumplestiltskin pointed out.

Bae blinked at him. "I'm okay. I think."

"You'll tell me if you aren't, won't you?"

"'Course, Papa."

"Come on, guys," Henry called, poking his head around the corner. "Gramps and I brought lunch over."

Rumplestiltskin stared blankly until his son pulled him along. Charming was in his home. That was irritating.

"Good to see you up and about," the prince greeted from where he and Belle were putting the food out in the table and his unwitting host merely stared.

"They wouldn't let me come over alone after Magnus showed up at the diner, so Gramps came with me," Henry explained and from the look in his eye his paternal grandfather was fairly certain he knew the words would act as a decent distraction.

"He did _what_?" Bae demanded. "Is everyone okay?"

"Yeah, for now," David answered. "They weren't happy that Blue told us about the curse's origins."

"I'd imagine not," Rumplestiltskin murmured as he took a seat at the table facing the man that had attacked him. Spell or not, he was a wary man by nature.

"Everyone's going to stand together against them," Henry announced. "They think they've got us beat because they have magic, but they have no idea what they're in for!"

Bae chuckled and pulled his son into a sideways hug. "We'll come out of this even stronger," he promised.

"I know. Then we can finally be a family. All of us."

Rumplestiltskin offered his grandson his best impression of a smile when he turned a hopeful gaze on him. If anyone could bring their crazy, patchwork family together, it was this boy, and if there was one thing he was certain of it was that they would need to stand together to defeat this enemy.

* * *

><p>David was well aware that he wasn't really welcome there. Even after Henry's intervention, Gold made it clear enough. He didn't say anything directly - or really at all - but there was something in the way that he kept a wary eye on him that set the prince on edge as much as the sorcerer seemed to be.<p>

It wasn't like he'd jumped up and volunteered. Emma should have been the one to go, but there was something strange going on there. He would have thought Neal's return would have brought a smile to her face, but his daughter did like to hide behind walls. It would take time, but they seemed to make each other happy when they were actually together. He thought so, anyway, but they'd been separated more than they were together, so it was hard to tell. Not that the same couldn't be said of he and Snow.

Belle stood to take care of the dishes and had to tell Gold to stay seated as she did. The glare kept him there, even if it were unhappily so. Neal moved to help, leaving David and Gold at the table with their shared grandson who found something that needed putting away almost instantly. Rumplestiltskin offered a half hearted glare in the traitorous teen's direction that hardly seemed to have any bite behind it. The look pulled a chuckle from the shepherd-prince who raised his hands in mock surrender as soon as the sorcerer turned to look at him. "Sorry. It's just if someone had told me before the curse that there'd be someone - much less a kid - that could get away with anything with you, I would have thought they were crazy."

A soft snort escaped the shopkeeper. "Bae was much the same as a boy. I'd have given him anything in my power."

David watched the elder man careful, uncertain of what he should even ask. Mr Gold had been a notoriously private man in Storybrooke, and Rumplestiltskin was no different. He played everything close, letting few anywhere near, and likely even Belle was still pulling back layers. "Were you...under your curse when Neal was born?" he asked carefully at last.

Gold quirked an eyebrow. "No," he answered after a moment. "I took it for him."

The prince blinked, surprised at the openness of the statement. He didn't dare say or ask more, but let Gold think on whatever distant memory had caught a hold of him. When he was certain that he wasn't going to speak again, his curiosity got the better of him. "It doesn't seem like something you'd do _for_ your child."

And of course _that_ was the wrong thing to say. "And shoving your newborn into a cupboard is?" the Dark One bit out.

David loosed a breath and did everything he could not to immediately snap back. The look he was on the receiving end of was not aggressive, per se, but more on the defensive side of things, as if Gold half expected him to draw his sword and start another round. "I suppose we make the best decisions we can to give them their best chance, don't we?"

"I suppose we do," came the guarded response.

Sometimes good and sometimes bad decisions. It wasn't lost on David that he'd made some very poor decisions - some that his daughter didn't know about - but he did his best to learn from those. He did what he could for his children and would, in the end, sacrifice anything for them, even to the point of helping to cast the darkest curse ever written. Well, perhaps he and Rumplestiltskin weren't so different after all.

Another sigh escaped him as his blue eyes flickered over to find the other man purposefully avoiding the gaze. Magnus had called him a demon, but all David saw sitting at the kitchen table was a man very worn down by the most recent of many terrible events that had made up his life. There were probably many more than any of the others knew or would even want to know about. It was easy to forget that there was a man under the curse when he hid so well behind biting words and a terrible temper. "I'm sorry. For what happened."

"You've already apologised."

"But I'm not sure you believe me. I know... I need you to know that we're on your side. We're family, and Henry and Neal are right. We'll be stronger together."

The sorcerer watched the prince carefully before the tension in his shoulders eased just little. Had David not been hoping for it, he'd never have noticed. "Henry is usually right about such things," he murmured at last. "The boy has an intuition like few others."

David chuckled. "My mother was like get at times, though with the family that kid has, it could have come from anywhere." He paused as he heard their shared grandson laugh about something in the kitchen with the others. "Henry's happy to have Neal back."

"As am I, though I hear Miss Swan had a less than pleasant reaction."

The younger man grimaced. "Yeah, she didn't seem too eager to come over and face that when Henry said he wanted to come. She's... There's no question Emma has been hurt and hides behind a lot of walls when she feels threatened."

"It's an instinct easily developed with a life such as she has led," Gold murmured. "She'll come around."

"Have you Seen something?" David asked, trying not to sound quite as eager as he thought he might. Henry deserved his father in his life as much as Emma deserved to be happy. If she'd let herself trust him, one man might be able to fill both roles.

Rumplestiltskin chuckled. "Not like you're referring to. I know True Love when I see it though. It's a strong and powerful magic that shines through even the darkest of times. You of all people should know that."

Snow came immediately to mind and David felt his lips stretch into a smile. "I guess True Love has to be fought for, doesn't it?"

"Indeed it does."

"As long as it isn't Hook."

The shopkeeper snorted a laugh, but didn't say anything more. David pulled in a deep breath, feeling at least a bit of the guilt over what happened lifting from him. He would never fully understand this man that sat before him - to be honest, he really wasn't sure he wanted to understand everything - but they could work together, and working with Rumplestiltskin was better for everyone than working against him.

* * *

><p>Caiden had studied the Dark One's Curse, its history, and its hosts for more years than he hadn't. He'd been raised with one purpose, and that was to follow in Magnus' footsteps as his father had and his father before him. Generations had been devoted to study and to a determined effort to eradicate this dangerous and dark curse from the worlds, but in all of his studies Caiden had never crossed someone quite like its current host.<p>

Most Dark Ones, from what he had read, if they had had family to begin with had cast them aside for the power of the Kris Dagger. They hadn't gone searching for them after and certainly had found it in their scarred and darkened hearts to love someone they'd never known before. Fear drove people to follow them, from time to time, and from what he knew of Rumplestiltskin, many had sought his help over the years because they'd foolishly thought they could outsmart him in his own deal-making, but for all he had in him Caiden couldn't understand why so many were willing to stand by his side. The girl might be under a spell and his son held tight to his disillusions of a father long-gone, but the others simply didn't make sense.

"They are fools," Magnus said bluntly, his robes brushed the wooden floors of the hall.

Caiden followed him into the large room, barely noticing as the fire leapt to life at his master's call. "Perhaps he has them all under a spell," he offered, though even he knew that would be difficult. The Dark One wouldn't bother to waste magic on that when he'd been so badly injured.

"They call him _family_." The word left his lips as if it were distasteful.

"They are tied together by the boy. There's never been a Dark One with a family like this."

"No, that shouldn't matter."

The younger man watched his master carefully. There was something unnerving about the way he was speaking, but Caiden reminded himself - and not for the first time - that Magnus had had many more years to dwell on mistakes made. As far as he knew the elder cleric had never faced Rumplestiltskin, but he'd had many other Dark Ones to battle with. This wasn't his first, though he seemed determined that it should be his last. They truly had been presented with an opportunity that they should not waste.

"Perhaps what we need to sway them is to bring the consequences a little closer," Magnus murmured, his sightless gaze on the flames.

Caiden peered in as well, catching wisps of magic swirling, sending embers dancing through the flames until a face appeared. His eyes grew wide as the spell worked its way from Magnus' mind without even requiring spoken words. "Are you certain that is the best choice?" he asked quietly.

"I have lived many centuries, my boy, and in that time I have learned one thing above all else: sacrifices must be made if one means to set wrongs right."

"We have already sacrificed much, Magnus."

"And now they will sacrifice so that this world and ours may be free. They must understand that they cannot choose such darkness without consequence."

The younger cleric felt a chill move through him, despite the flames. He couldn't tear his eyes away from the image of the town's savior in them, but he knew that Magnus had set their course. Emma Swan's fate was sealed now as surely as the Dark One's was.

* * *

><p>TBC<p>

Notes:

Next time - Bae and Killian have a chat about a certain shared love, the clerics set their sites on Emma, and Maleficent makes her appearance.


	13. Chapter Thirteen

**Chapter Thirteen**

Her feet were cold. That was the first thing she noticed as she started inching towards wakefulness. The rest of her was comfortable enough, but the room's chill seemed to grasp at her toes, working its way up her feet and wrapping around her ankles. She shifted, eyes finally fluttering, even if not quite opening, and she flexed her toes, curling and uncurling them to try to get the blood flowing through them. She reached out with one foot, expecting to find her husband's close by. He might grumble a bit before he actually woke up, but once he did he'd scoot closer and wrap an arm around her to pull her close. She'd managed to get a little sleep while he was in the hospital, but there was nothing like being home, in their own bed, with no nightmares to haunt them.

Belle blinked her clear blue eyes open when she realized that Rumple's side of the bed was empty. For one brief, terrifying moment she thought that perhaps she'd dreamt his rescue. Maybe he was still a prisoner in that terrible house that he'd described to her and Baelfire had never been brought back to them. She fought the idea as she sat up, the quilts falling from her shoulders and the chill of the rest of the room made her shiver.

The spot next to her was, in fact, vacant, and she was halfway out of bed by the time she realized that there was a light coming from under the bathroom floor and the sound of the sink running. The light shut off and the door creaked a little as it opened, revealing Rumplestiltskin's confused expression darkened by the shadows of the room. "Belle? What's wrong, sweetheart?"

It was silly, she knew it was, but she launched herself forward and wrapped her arms around his neck with enough force to almost knock him back. He caught them both and returned the embrace. He was warm and so very alive that she choked back a laugh and tightened her grip, pressing her ear to his chest just to hear the steady beating there.

"Did you have a nightmare?" he asked quietly and she shook her head.

"I just woke and you weren't there."

"That's been a bit of time, hasn't it?" he murmured and she could feel his soft smile as he kissed the top of her head.

While Rumple had dreamt of his then-dead son, Belle had found the empty bed unnerving for the first week or two that he'd been back. She had taken every chance to be close to his memory when they'd come back - running the shop, living in his house, and had even tried to drive his car once - and to have him there with her had been like walking in a dream. It had been one that it had taken at least a short time to assure herself she wouldn't wake up from. Apparently this latest terrible event had reawoken a few of those fears.

"It's alright, Belle," her husband shushed her softly. "I swear to you that I'm not going anywhere. Not while you'll have me."

"And I'll always have you," she promised in return.

"Well, eventually you might grow a bit tired of my antics," Rumple teased.

Belle looked up at him, tipped up on her toes, and kissed the tip of his nose. "I love you. That's forever. I promised, remember?"

"That you did."

Her smile grew and she could see his shining in his eyes, even in the darkness of their room. He leaned down and their lips met, one of his hands captured in hers and the other tangling itself in her hair. As the kiss deepened it traveled down, finger tracing her jaw and he picked her up to move her back towards the bed. She certainly wasn't going to protest.

"What woke you?" he managed between the kisses and she almost laughed at him for it.

"My feet were cold."

"I suppose that's my fault, isn't it? I should really do something to remedy that."

Belle tipped back onto the bed and giggled as he tumbled after her, the terrors put away just for a short time. His kiss could banish the questions and his voice did away with the fears that clung tight in the darkest of moments. Somehow, someway, they would patch their crazy little family together and perhaps they could even find that elusive happy ending she'd always heard about. Right then, she was content to leave that in the future. She wasn't ready for it to end.

* * *

><p>Knowing his father was married again on an intellectual level was entirely different than the utter understanding that came with nearly walking into their room on them. It had been early, with the sun barely showing signs of inching towards the horizon, and he'd been hurt. And he was his <em>papa<em>. Childhood trauma should never come this late in life.

Henry was still sleeping in one of the spare bedrooms when Bae grabbed his papa's keys from the ring and left a hastily scribbled note promising to bring breakfast from Granny's if he'd text them when they go up, or at least whenever the managed to leave the room. There was no way in hell he was bringing _that_ up. He had no need to relive that nor admit to it.

Granny's was busier than he expected at that hour, but he supposed that if any group of people could work through a brewing terror it would be the citizens if Storybrooke. Granted, they were just as likely to form a panicked mob as well from what he knew of them. These people that had been born and raised in the Enchanted Forest only to be uprooted and tossed into the Land Without Magic reacted in contrary to themselves sometimes, or perhaps at least in contrary of what Bae had learned having been uprooted and tossed into a strange land himself.

"Neal!" Ruby greeted as he walked through the door, the bell and the rattling of the blinds announcing his presence. She beamed and rounded the corner, offering him an unexpected hug. "It's so good to see you."

Bae grinned in return. "It's been a couple days. What sort of rumours are spreading?"

The werewolf - a fact he'd never learned from speaking to her before, but had actually gleaned from his father's memories - laughed. "It's Storybrooke. It's being called everything from a miracle to the darkests of magic that will destroy of all." She chuckled out the last bit as someone that has been on the receiving end of Storybrooke's mob mentality.

"As long as they keep the pitchforks put away, right?" Bae teased and she rolled her eyes, pulling a cup from beneath the counter and pouring some coffee into it.

"Don't joke about that. You'll give them ideas. What are you having?"

"So I tried these really good waffles last time."

"The blueberry ones?"

"Yeah, that's them. I'm going to grab stuff to go on the way out."

"Let me guess: Henry, Belle, and Mr Gold's favourites to go?"

"You are good."

Ruby grinned as she disappeared to the back and Bae was left at the counter. He glanced around, seeing a couple familiar faces. Archie and Marco were having breakfast in a far booth and a couple of the dwarves were seated down the bar. The door chiming open announced the entrance of the third they must have been waiting for, and Leroy shook the snow off his cap. His gaze fell almost immediately on Baelfire and his mouth dropped open a little. "Well look who's back from the dead!"

A small, crooked smile touched his lips. "We're apparently making it a family tradition."

Leroy didn't look like he got the reference and Bae resisted the urge to sigh. These people really didn't seem remember that his father had died and it had been what saved them from a more miserable existence than Regina could have ever cooked up for them. Bae wasn't an idiot. He knew his papa hadn't given his life for Leroy, Granny, or even Ruby. It had been for him and Belle and for Henry. That didn't mean the rest of the town didn't benefit and it wouldn't kill them to acknowledge that Rumplestiltskin was a better man these days than on many that they'd known him. It seemed like they'd accepted Regina after everything she'd done, so Baelfire was at a loss as to what was stopping them. Maybe he was biased after getting a bit too close to those feeling even while his father had been struggling to retain his sanity with both of them knocking around one head, but Bae had seen it through Rumplestiltskin's eyes as Storybrooke's heroes had come seeking his help and had just left him there after. Belle had tried, but she'd been the only one, and his papa couldn't hide behind his indifference then. Not from Bae.

Things seemed to be changing now, he hoped, and eventually David and Mary Margaret would help to bring the others around.

"Just in time for another bout of danger, eh Baelfire?" a voice asked from behind and pulled Bae out of his thoughts.

He swiveled on the barstool, gaze falling in a sauntering pirate captain that seemed to have finally changed his gaudy leathers for something a bit more modern. If he'd been wearing it at the hospital during their brief run-in, Bae hadn't bothered to notice. He still brandished his hook proudly enough, but the rest of him might have been toned down had he not been smiling that lazy smile of his that was meant to throw people off. Bae didn't buy it for a second. "Hey, Killian."

Leroy scooted off to his brothers, leaving Bae and the pirate that he'd never really known if he should consider a friend or enemy to talk. "May I?" Killian asked, motioning to the empty seat next to the younger man.

Baelfire offered a shrug and Hook took the seat. "Just a coffee this morning, love," he called over to Ruby who delivered it quickly.

"You still staying here?"

"Well, it turns out there's really only one landlord in town and he's not my biggest fan."

Bae saw the sideways glance from the corner of his eye. He wasn't sure if the pirate thought he wasn't paying attention or just didn't care, but the glance lingered until the younger man felt it become a studying gaze and he resisted the urge to squirm under it. He took a long sip from his mug, and when it just didn't stop he turned a glare on Hook. "_What_?"

"You were dead, mate. Excuse me if that makes me a little nervous."

"You're the one that took a seat next to me," Bae pointed out sharply, feeling his resolve to be civil begin to crumble.

Hook's lips twitched downward.

"Or is it something else that's making you nervous?" Bae growled. "By the way, how long _did_ it take you to jump right back after Emma?"

"That's absurd."

"Really? Because from what Papa's said, it hasn't been nearly as long as it felt like it was while I was trapped down in that hellhole." He reeled his temper back in just enough to thank Ruby as she set the waffles down and mumbled that he could place the to-go order when he wanted.

"Bae," the pirate started to argue again, but the younger man cut him off.

"It's _Neal_. Only my family calls me that anymore." And Killian sure as hell wasn't family, Bae thought, but managed to cut that off quickly enough.

"You were _dead_. What was I supposed to do?"

"Maybe you should have had enough respect to back off?"

"You really love her, don't you?"

"I really do," he answered without missing a beat. He watched the elder man carefully, trying to work his way through the emotions that the conversation was pulling forward. This man had been why his mother had left as a child, and now seemed intent on trying to sway Emma away as well. Not that Emma was easily swayed, of course, but it didn't make the situation any less frustrating. "And you know, if she chooses you - or anyone else - in the end, that's her call, but I just... Damn it, Killian. You're the one who came to me saying you didn't want to let this come between us. Twice."

At least he had the grace to look a little embarrassed. "I suppose I did. Well, if it helps at all, she has been decimating every romantic advance I've made."

"It helps a little," Bae chuckled and the sound pulled the same from the pirate.

"I love her too, you know," Killian murmured.

"I know. At least, for all you're doing, you better love her. If you break her heart, Killian, so help me, I'll-"

"Threats really aren't necessary, lad."

Baelfire snorted.

"Anyway, I think she's much more likely to break my heart than the other way around."

"Good."

"Well thanks so much," the pirate grumbled, sounding more offended than he likely was. After a moment he raised his coffee cup. "To the women that break our hearts," he offered.

Bae rolled his eyes, but obliged, the coffee mugs clinking and he resisted the urge to snark. Right now they needed everyone on the same side, no matter their past histories. They had a foe to face, and these clerics had attacked Emma as well as the rest of them. He might not trust Hook to handle her heart carefully, but he could trust him to care enough to be fiercely protective. In the end, Emma would make her choice, but that choice could never make him stop loving her.

* * *

><p>Maleficent had had good reason to be wary of Rumplestiltskin's Dark Curse. Oh, she had a good enough reason to be wary of <em>any<em> curse that spiralled out of that clever little imp's mind, but that one had set a warning off deep inside like nothing before. One would think when the Mistress of All Evil said that a curse was too dark for the worlds to handle that perhaps said worlds might listen. Well, it was all blood under the bridge now.

This round was most certainly better, though, she had to admit. She'd been put down in her human form this time and even provided with an understanding of the Land Without Magic. It was, of course, not strictly a land without any magic. Not anymore. Rumplestiltskin had seen to that. She supposed she should be grateful for that. The little spice shop that round two of The Curse to End All Curses had provided her with would have been so very dull without a bit of kick added to it.

The fallen fairy smiled to herself as she remembered one of her would-be customers that had poked his head in to try to find something to calm his wife's nerves. Poor little Prince Philip had taken one look at her and had gone as white as a ghost. It had been marvelous. Really the only thing that could have made it better was if it had been that irritating little brat Aurora. _That_ would have been a fantastic reaction.

Her front door's bell jingled and she perked from where she'd been replenishing some of her supplies. Few people in this Storybrooke actually knew who she was, but she'd been waiting for someone she knew to walk through that door. Perhaps Regina. She would just love to catch up with her friend that had thought little enough of that friendship to have left her in the state she did.

"Diaval, the door?" she called out as she bent down for the last jar she'd been after.

"Of course, Mistress," the man in question replied.

She stood slowly, leaning against a beam that supported the ceiling in the back storeroom and peered through the opening at the dark haired man that worked for her. She had never asked him what corner Regina had stuffed him into during her version of the curse, or if she'd even bothered to take a moment to think about it. Apparently the Charmings casting the curse allowed for a bit better placing of people as they were displaced, and her constant companion had been delivered in the same form that he took at times in the Forbidden Fortress. True, she did adore him in his unicorn form as well, and he was damn useful as a bird, but she hardly found herself complaining now. Perhaps it was time for her to rethink her dislike of Rumple's little curse.

"Mistress?" Diaval called softly and Maleficent realized he was standing right in front of her now. "He won't speak to anyone but the shop owner."

"Well I suppose I'll have to make myself available then, won't I?" she almost purred. Most days it was difficult to get a rise out of him, though when she managed, it was well worth it. "Hello, dear. Here for something special?" she asked the man that stood with his back to her, looking through her assortment of teas.

He turned and even the Mistress of All Evil had to blink a bit. Magic could be felt in many different ways, but humans always thought they were so much better at hiding it than they truly were. This little child was certain that she didn't know who he was, but those eyes of his gave it all away. They swirled with carefully contained power, though it was nothing next to the master he was kept by. Interesting. Things had been a bit different in Storybrooke the last couple of weeks. Perhaps it was time to finally grow at least a tad bit curious.

"I have a list of things I need. I understand that this shop is the place to obtain them." He held the list out to her, but before she could pull it from his fingers he snagged it back. "With discretion, of course."

"Oh of course," she answered automatically and plucked the paper from him. Her dark violet eyes skimmed the words and she knew them well. She also knew what mixing them would create, though he'd tried to disguise his intent by putting the list out of order. There was an extra ingredient - something to spice it up - listed and she tilted her head as she continued skimming the page.

"Do you have everything?" he asked worriedly, like he were pressed for time.

"I believe so. Just a moment please."

She felt his eyes on her as she moved to the back again, Diaval waiting with a less than pleased expression on his face. "Mistress, do you know who that is?"

"Not specifically, but I recognize his training well enough. He's one of Magnus'."

The shapeshifter's dark eyes flickered to the store and then came back to her. "Mistress, he _knows_."

"He knows nothing," Maleficent answered flippantly as she started for the ingredients requested. "He's a pawn. Magnus only keeps pawns afterall. I'd say he learned that lesson some… oh five centuries ago? I forget."

"_Mistress_," Diaval hissed and she waved him off, tipping up on her toes to reach up to a top shelf and pull a jar of foul smelling liquid down. It was a wonder anyone anyone ever ingested this poison. She always prefered the more traditional methods herself.

Her dear bird scurried his way over to her, his movements jerky and nervous. "You're not giving it to him, are you?"

"Shouldn't I? Where's your sense of fun, Diaval? Please tell me this place hasn't tainted you too badly. Some little cleric casting this? One of Magnus'? I do hope he pricks his own finger with it. That would be _marvelous_."

"Mistress!"

"Oh pipe down," Maleficent answered as she rolled her eyes. "It's just business. It's not like we're not getting something from it." She let a friendly smile spread across her face as she waltzed back in to the main room of the shop, setting the jars down and pulling several vials out for the liquids and bags for the crushed powders. "Now, I assume you do know quite what you're getting yourself into?" she asked as she began to fill them. All magic came with a price and she'd be damned if someone tried to say she'd tricked this little nobody into casting something he didn't understand.

The little cleric offered a glare that was hardly intimidating with his blackened eye that he wore oh-so proudly as if it weren't even there. Whoever he'd gone a round with had certainly done a number on him, and from the way he moved, the eye wasn't all he'd come away with. She really did need to get out more and listen to a few town rumours.

"What I do with it is none of your business," he snapped and Maleficent raised her hands in mock surrender.

"Of course not. Just have to give all the warnings. Wouldn't want to get sued." Her smile turned mischievous and he just kept right on glaring. It was enough to make her giggle as she finished up and he reached to swipe the ingredients from her. She popped his hand as if she were scolding a small child. "Nothing comes for free of course. That will be three-fifty."

He blinked at her. "I expected a bit more," he said after a moment and began to pull a couple of dollar bills from his wallet.

She snorted a laugh. "No dear. Three _hundred_ and fifty." She watched as he balked at the number and her smile only grew. "We take cash or credit. No checks, please. You just don't know who to trust these days."

The cleric paid and left with his bought supplies, the bell jingling after him. Diaval stepped forward and looked towards his mistress. "You know who they are, Mistress. That's a dangerous game to play in this world."

"Oh, not so dangerous. His money wasn't all I took," she answered and waved the credit receipt in front of his face. "I have a name and you know who pays highly for _that_ sort of information."

"Do you know who the potion is for?"

"That's no longer my concern, though I do think that I should slip Rumple a note. If it's his precious little wife and I didn't say anything… well, there'll be hell to pay, won't there? I have no interest in _that_ kind of trouble."

"You think they'd put her under a Sleeping Curse?"

Maleficent shrugged. "If there's one thing I know about those clerics that follow Magnus, it's that they are capable of anything."

* * *

><p>Weird days in Storybrooke were nothing new. Every day since she'd followed that little boy that had become her world to this town, she'd found herself wondering if maybe she'd cracked and no one had bothered to tell her.<p>

Emma Swan sat on a bench alone, hazel eyes fixed on the water that she wasn't really looking at. She'd managed to come to terms with the fact that she could be a mother, which had eventually led to finding her own parents. It just kept spiralling from there, but she supposed that if she could accept that her parents were Snow White and Prince Charming and that they'd tucked her into a magical wardrobe to save both her and the rest of their kingdom from a terrible curse - created by her son's grandfather and cast by his adopted mother, by the way - she could eventually wrap her mind around most anything.

Except Neal. He was the oddity in everything. He was the one that had stolen her heart and then vanished. She'd hated him only because she couldn't forget him, but somehow that bitterness had softened when she watched how great he was with Henry. It made her wonder what life would have been like if he'd stayed, if he'd told August no. Life could have been great, and she was certain - if there was really such a thing as fate and destiny - that it would have brought them here eventually.

He hadn't stayed, though. He'd run, just like he'd learn to run his whole life. Then he'd come back and left and come back and left. Emma thought she did a pretty good job of protecting her heart, but she just couldn't with him. Every time he managed to work his way back in with that lopsided grin on his and that laugh. She knew he loved her, and if she were honest she might admit that she knew that after the first time he'd never _wanted_ to leave her again. He kept coming back, but then they kept getting ripped apart again too. Maybe there just was no happy ending for people like her. Maybe he would actually be safer if she managed to say no this time. It might break his heart, but that could mend. Perhaps not just right or how it was before, but it _could_ mend, and Emma was starting to think that it was the only way to keep him alive.

Rustling through the trees caught her attention and she turned, finding no one there. Her eyes scanned the brush carefully, and though a chill worked it's way through her, she finally decided it was a mixture of the cold air and a breaking heart. She snorted, standing from the little bench and looking around. This was becoming absurd. She'd made her decision and now she had to live with it.

Emma's hand flexed beneath her glove, a strange sensation working it's way into just one finger. She rubbed at it for a moment before peeling the glove off, finding it red and irritated. It had been fine just a few moments before, so she slipped her fingers back into the glove and started walking.

* * *

><p>Killian Jones was not the sacrificing sort, at least he didn't make a habit of it anymore. He'd spent enough time sacrificing his best years to the service of a king that had gotten his brother killed and then the years after that chasing down the man that had killed the only woman that he thought he'd ever love. Really, he'd just hit his limit of sacrificial giving, and he thought he'd been perfectly content with that. He was a pirate, after all, and owed nothing to anyone.<p>

Then there had been Emma Swan. She'd been entertaining at first, just a lass to catch his fancy, but he'd found out she was much more. She was strong and brave and clever, just the type of woman that could actually keep up with him, and the more time he spent with her the further he fell until he was certain that he would drown in it should he ever try to break away.

The fact that she had been in love with Baelfire was unfortunate. He hadn't meant for that to happen, of course, but he could argue all day long that it had never been his goal to take the boy's supposed True Love from him and Bae would never hear a word of it. They both loved her, but that didn't guarantee either of them anything. She wasn't a damsel to be rescued and she wasn't going to be swept off her feet. Bae had been right when he had said she might not choose either one of them, but Hook hoped that he was wrong. He hoped with everything he had, because he hadn't thought he could fall this deeply in love ever again. He'd never thought he could find it in himself to give whatever was needed for another person again, regardless of what it cost him.

Hook sighed, trudging up towards the sheriff's office. It was late afternoon, but he'd seen her little yellow vehicle parked outside the town hall. He'd had a good few hours to think on it and he thought it was time that she knew what he was willing to give for her. At least then she would know, even if it didn't change anything.

The lights were on and he could hear rummaging as he moved closer down the hall. Curiosity crept up on him and he stepped through the open door to the main office. "Swan?" he called and she peeked up over her desk from where she was squatted down to look at something. Killian quirked an eyebrow. "Lost something?"

"Yeah. Just looking for it. What's up?"

She sounded a bit distracted, but he didn't dare give himself a chance to back out now. He was Killian Jones, pirate captain, and feared across worlds. He cleared his throat. "If you're busy, I can come back," he found himself saying instead.

"It's fine. I can keep looking," she offered and ducked back down. "What did you need?"

"I just… Well, I had breakfast with Bae- with Neal this morning, and he and I were talking. You know how I feel about you, love, so I thought it was best just to put things out in the open before they got any further away from us. You've been asking about the _Jolly Roger_." He waited for some sort of reaction. Emma was easily enough distracted, but she always seemed to come around when the conversation turned serious. That or she ran, but she didn't seem to be doing either this time.

Finally, after silence filled the air between them, she stood and moved to the cabinets against the wall. "Yeah?"

"I traded it for a bean so that I could warn you about the curse. That's how I came through to your world." He waited for the words to sink in, but Emma kept right on searching. "I gave up the _Jolly Roger_ for you," he stressed.

"Uh huh," came the bare response and he felt a twinge if irritation. Okay, so giving up his ship might not be completely on par with _dying_ so that they could find the Wicked Witch, but it should have received _something_ of a response. She looked up and past him towards the desks in the empty section of the office. "Maybe there?"

He caught her arm as she passed. "What are you looking for, Swan?"

She looked up at him like he was the one losing his mind. "Let go. I have to find it."

"Find _what_?" he demanded even as she pulled away.

He watched her move to one of the desks and her eyes lit up. "There you are," she murmured and went for something.

Killian strained as he saw her pick up a small needle that had been left of the desk. "What-?" He choked on the word as she lifted the needle, almost as if in a trance, and pricked her bare finger with it.

Emma turned, the trance wearing off for the briefest of moments. He thought he heard his name try to work it's way out, but it never passed her lips as her eyes rolled and her knees gave.

Panic bubbled up inside of him as he dropped to the floor next to her, good hand immediately going to find a pulse. It was weak, but there. He fumbled for the cell phone she'd given him, struggling to remember what the number for emergencies was. There were three numbers, he thought, or maybe four. He couldn't remember, so he did the next best thing and tapped David's name to call him.

It rang as he checked her again, begging for her to open her eyes. The ringing stopped then, and her mother's voice sounded. "Hello? David has Neal right now. This is Mary Margaret."

"Something's happened to Emma. It was like some sort of spell and she went for a needle lying on a desk and-"

"Hook, slow down," the princess snapped. "What happened to my daughter?"

"She pricked her finger on it and just fell. I've never seen anything like it."

There was a moment of silence on the other end and a deep breath. "I have. It's a Sleeping Curse. Where are you? We're on our way."

"The station," he managed and Snow White hung up on the other end. He turned his gaze back down to Emma. She was growing paler by the second, her breathing fainter and fainter as she slipped. It was a curse, Mary Margaret had said, and if there was thing that Killian knew it was that any curse _could_ be broken. Pulling in a deep, steadying breath, he bent over her still form and pressed his lips to hers. The last time they'd kissed - if one could even call it kissing, as it'd really been her attempt to push air through to his lungs and bring him back from the brink of drowning - it had sapped her powers and left her without her magic, thanks to the hex the Wicked Witch had put on him. Now, if she felt the same as he did, he could bring her back from the edge. He could save her.

He sat up slowly, waiting for a sharp intake of breath that would announce her waking. It never came as she slipped further and further into a sleep like death.

* * *

><p>TBC<p>

Notes: Well, please don't kill me know. That's quite a cliffhanger, but I suppose that's nothing new with me, is it? :P

Happy early Thanksgiving. Depending on how writing goes I will likely either update Wednesday or Friday. Probably Friday. For those traveling this week, stay safe!

Next time - The rush to save Emma is on while Regina and Rumple show up at Maleficent's shop for answers and receive more than they bargained for.


	14. Chapter Fourteen

**Chapter Fourteen**

"Snow, slow down. I'm not sure what's going on."

The dark haired princess looked up and David thought she might snap. It was fear in her eyes, though, and not anger, and she turned back to her frantic packing of the baby bag. "Emma's been put under a Sleeping Curse," she said at last.

David thought the world might have shifted under his feet and he moved to put little Neal down in his carrier. They needed to be ready to go immediately. "Who was that?"

"Hook. David, do you think he can save her? Should we call Henry? Henry can save her if Killian can't, right? What if-"

"Snow, stop," David said as he finished strapping their son in and straightened to take hold of her and slow the panic. He understood it, and as soon as the words left her mouth he felt it rising in him as well, but panic wouldn't save their daughter. "Breathe. Emma has a lot of people here that love her. Someone will be able to wake her up. Take Neal down to the car and get it started. I'll be down in half a second."

"Who would do this, David?" she asked, the fear resounding in every word.

"The clerics. They're making a point, I think."

He already had his cell in his hand and Snow watched him carefully. "Who are you calling? Henry?"

"Henry's at Gold's. I'm calling them all."

"Neal," Snow murmured softly, as if in the flurry the thought hadn't occurred to her. "Do you think...?"

"It doesn't matter what I think," David answered as he pulled the phone up to his ear. "It matters what they feel, and I've seen the reaction she's given before, just not from her."

"What do you mean?"

"When you thought you would protect me by pretending you didn't love me."

She nodded and grabbed hold of the baby carrier on her way out. The phone was already ringing in his ear as they headed down the stairs and towards their daughter.

* * *

><p>Quiet did not always equate peace in Rumplestiltskin's many years of experience, so the fact that they had not heard anything out of their enemies didn't put him at ease. They were at the eye of the storm, waiting in a calmness that would not last, and in his experience, what came after was usually worse than what came before.<p>

For that moment though, Rumplestiltskin couldn't help being at least a little content with the fact that he was able to enjoy a bit of peace with his family. Belle was busy picking through some old books she'd found in a cupboard in the shop, deciding if any were worthy to be displayed in her library. Bae was on the lookout for any objects he actually recognize. He was determined that he'd seen something more than just the old ball that sat in a place of honour when he'd been in the shop before, and Bae and Henry had turned it into a search. It left Rumplestiltskin to watch, soaking in at least a few moments of peace.

And then his cell began to buzz. Well, peace never last forever, especially when war had been declared.

A small sigh escaped him as he reached into his jacket and fished the buzzing contraption out. "Good afternoon, Charming. What terrible catastrophe has befallen us now?"

"Someone has put Emma under a Sleeping Curse."

Rumplestiltskin's gaze went immediately to his son and grandson who were currently unaware of what was happening. "When?"

"Hook just called. I don't know all the details, but Snow and I are on our way over to the station."

"We're on our way," Rumplestiltskin answered and he heard the small sound of acknowledgement the other man gave. "If she looks like she'll stop breathing, take her to the hospital. Henry had some time before the poison took full effect."

That got some attention. Bae popped up from where he'd been knelt down studying something with his son and Henry leaned around the shelves. "What's going on?" the teen demanded as his grandfather ended the call.

"Someone has poisoned Emma," Rumplestiltskin answered as he pulled his potions catch-all bag from under the counter. He opened it up and started checking a few things. "David and Snow think it's a Sleeping Curse. Bae, you need to go over there."

"Well, yeah, but I'm not sure -"

"It won't hurt to try. I'd say our less-than-friendly pirate has already tried and failed."

"We can wake her up though, right?" Henry demanded.

"Of course."

"Is there anything else we'll need?" Belle asked and she was already shrugging on her coat, handing Henry his from the back.

The door chimed, gaining all of their attentions. Rumplestiltskin frowned. "I'm afraid we're closed," he told the dark haired man that he vaguely recognized from the first round of the curse.

"My mistress will not let me deliver this to anyone other than you, Dark One. Straight into your hands."

Rumplestiltskin snorted and rolled his eyes. What a waste of time. He rounded the counter and motioned impatiently for the letter the man held. It was delivered promptly and he tore it open, taking in the scripted writing that he had seen appear in his castle time and again over the centuries. His scowl grew.

"Papa?" Bae called, worry etched into his features.

"It's something I have to take care of." He turned an irritated glare on the dark haired messenger that he was sure that he knew now. "She should have come herself."

"She didn't have to send anything at all," Diaval answered.

"Oh, I know her well enough to know there's plenty more. She wants this handled on her grounds and not mine."

"Can you blame her after everything that's happened?"

"I wasn't the one that locked her up under the clock tower," Rumplestiltskin grumbled. He turned back to his wife and motioned to the bag. "Maleficent sold the ingredients to the clerics."

"Isn't she really good at making a Sleeping Curse?" Henry asked.

"Quite," his grandfather answered with an irritated glare tossed in the so-called Mistress of All Evil's pet's direction. "I'll make sure there isn't something we weren't expecting."

Diaval grimaced at that and Rumplestiltskin had his answer, even if it wasn't one he was happy with. "Belle, anything you should need is in there. Take it with you and I'll call."

"What could she have added?"

"Any number of things. She wrote the original curse."

"We should hurry," Diaval pressed.

Rumplestiltskin nodded and glanced to his son and grandson. All curses could be broken, but he knew better than to think that the clerics would make it easy. They had to know that people loved Storybrooke's little savior. This could not be a simple Sleeping Curse, and Maleficent would want something for the information. Good thing he was quite the bargainer.

"I'll call you with any news," he assured them as he followed the messenger out the door. Whatever lesson they were trying to teach the heroes of Storybrooke would backfire on them now. This would only serve to unite them further. As long as they could save her.

* * *

><p>She was surrounded by crushing silence. Every thought seemed to echo out into the mirrored void that she found herself in, bouncing back and surrounding her. There was no escaping it and no telling how long she'd been there.<p>

Another terrible cracking sound shot through the room and Emma ducked, ready for glass to shatter around her. It held, though, as if it would hold for all of time. It was just she and the mirrors that reminded her just who she was supposed to be and just what she was. There was no question where she was. Henry and her mother had both described it far too well.

It shouldn't have been nearly as terrifying as it was. Henry could wake her up. She wouldn't be in here long, she was certain. If not Henry than at least her mom or dad. Someone could.

A low, terrible sound came from the emptiness and she resisted the urge to find a corner to crawl into. She forced her back to straighten and narrowed her eyes. "If someone's there, come out," she called, her voice surprisingly steady.

A low, strange chuckle echoed through the doorless room and Emma could feel the hairs on the back of her neck begin to rise. She stood her ground, though, and readied herself for a fight.

"Storybrooke's savior. This is an honour," a voice said from behind and she turned, taking a swing and finding only air.

"Now, there is no reason for violence. We mean you no harm," the voice said from an entirely different direction.

"Funny, I seem to remember Sleeping Curses causing a whole lot of harm," Emma growled, turning and looking for the source of the voice. They'd been playing tricks on her all along, and she was more than done with it. "Why don't you face me, huh?" She turned again and found herself staring at a giant of a man that she had to step back and away from just to see his face. Strange, milky eyes stared back at her, and something deep within her soul knew this was the man that had started it all. This was the man that wanted to take her son away and that had held Neal to use his connection to his father. He'd used and hurt too many people that she cared about, and Emma was about ready to end it. She took a swing at him, her fist slamming into an unseen shield of some sort and she was thrown back, skidding all the way across the mirrored room.

The man tilted his head. "Emma Swan, are you aware of the power that you hold inside of you?"

"Pretty aware," she growled out. Normally she didn't mind that her magic had never come back with Zelena's curse, but right now she thought she could have made use of it. She wanted to put this man through one of those stupid mirrors and find a way out of there.

"Yet your regrets hold you back. You could be quite powerful if you would learn to let those go."

Emma snorted. "Funny, but it sounds like your regrets are what started this whole mess. Listen, it's not our fault you lobbed a bunch of dark magic into a pit without thinking of the consequences."

Magnus - at least she was pretty sure that's who he was - snarled at her. "Ignorant girl. You know nothing of what you speak of."

"I think I know plenty. Don't get me wrong, I'm not calling Gold innocent by any stretch, but I'd rather have him on my side than you any day."

"Until he is done with you and betrays you. All Dark Ones do."

"Because I'm going to trust the word of the man that tried to steal my son away? I may not be able to touch you in here, but I'm going to make you regret ever taking me on as soon as I get out."

His lips thinned out. "You will not leave this place."

"There's a lot that I question, but if nothing else, I know at least three people that could break a Sleeping Curse on me."

"That's where you are wrong, little savior."

Emma glared. "And I'm sure you're going to tell me how wrong I am about my family, aren't you?"

"No, there is no point in lying to you. Had you fallen under a traditional Sleeping Curse, your family might pull you out, but we are not fools. Your own troubled heart will trap you here, just as surely as it traps your magic."

* * *

><p>If they'd been teleported to the sheriff's station, Henry wasn't sure they would have gotten there any faster. He called Regina, barely able to spill the story out between the fear that was rising within him. He didn't like that Grandpa Gold had scooted off with the strange man that had run the little tea and spice shop as long as Henry could remember. He didn't like the ideas if complications - it was a terrible enough place to be trapped in without them - but Regina hadn't been able to give him any insight. She did, however, promise to check with someone she knew would.<p>

Grandpa Gold had left them with his car as he followed Diaval and Henry barely let it stop as he piled out. No one yelled after him, but he was certain that his dad barely threw it into park before following, Belle on his heels with the bag of potions that might be useful, depending on just what Maleficent had sold to the clerics.

They met Gramps, Grandma Snow, and baby Neal at the entrance. Henry had told his dad about the new little prince that bore his name, but their actual meeting would have to wait. No one seemed willing to pause long enough.

Killian Jones was waiting very impatiently at the door to the office. "She's still breathing, but..." His bright blue eyes fell on Henry. "Up to you, lad."

The teen felt the knot in his stomach tighten and Gramps patted his shoulder. "She was able to save you once," he reminded his grandson. "It goes both ways."

He looked back at his dad who offered him an encouraging smile before Captain Hook motioned him and David off to the side, their voices low. Henry pulled in a steadying breath, eyes focused on his mom who lay still as death. He inched forward and sank down to the couch Killian had gotten her to, his leather jacket draped across to keep her warm. He felt like all eyes were on him and perhaps they were, but his were focused on his mom.

"Hey," he murmured, almost as if he were hoping she'd wake just to the sound of his voice. "Love you, Mom."

Henry leaned over and kissed Emma's forehead just as she had to wake him a couple of years earlier. He sat up, waiting for the sudden intake of breath that indicated she had come out of it. He blinked and waited, her breathing still shallow, almost to the point that he couldn't hear it.

"Nothing's happening," he managed, trying to crush the rising fear. "Maybe it's not a Sleeping Curse?"

"It is," Grandma Snow said firmly.

"Rumple will find out exactly what Maleficent gave them," Belle promised, "and then we can counter it."

Henry looked back down to his mother. Grandpa Gold needed to hurry.

* * *

><p>Maleficent had been expecting Rumplestiltskin, but she hadn't been expecting a visit from the Evil Queen. She blinked in surprise as she felt the tug of a warning that her wards gave to her, feeding her information that Regina did not seem to be attempting to hide. The front door, easily opened by anyone else, wouldn't budge for the dark haired mayor and she looked irked at best. She tugged once more before Maleficent felt magic leap forward, doing nothing against her protections. That brought a smile to her face, and while she would have loved to have watched her continue to waste her efforts, there was a good chance that Rumple had sent his little pet queen - because if Regina knew it or not, she'd always played right into her former teacher's plans - instead of coming himself. That either meant that she was ahead of the situation - preferable - or the curse had been cast on someone that had no ties to the Dark One and he simply didn't care, which was even more preferable.<p>

The former fairy twitched her hand in the air and the door swung open. Regina stood there for a moment, obviously having not expected the sudden welcome, and regained her composure with all of her usual grace. "I do hope I'm not intruding."

"Not at all, though my door did seem to be winning the battle you were ready to wage against it. What can I get you, Regina dear?"

"I'm not here for something that I can get off your shelves. I need something else, and I'm willing to pay."

"I'm not sure you can afford what I charge, Madame Mayor," Maleficent all but purred. "My prices are quite steep at times."

The younger woman snorted. "This isn't for me, so you can quit with the games."

A small smile worked it's way to the former fairy's lips. Yes, Rumplestiltskin must have sent her. Interesting that the great and powerful Evil Queen had been reduced to errand girl, but the elder woman wasn't overly surprised. Everything was bound to come back around on her sooner or later. She _had_ tried to warn her, after all. Not that Rumple didn't pay for services rendered. He'd always been quite particular about that. "If you're involved, dear, you're getting something out of it."

Regina glared, but there wasn't a great deal of her old ire in it. In fact, Maleficent would almost go as far as to say there was a little bit of regret there. Not that she was quite ready to give her a pass just yet. Nearly thirty years as Regina's prisoner was nothing in her long life, but the younger woman _had_ been her friend. She would risk putting herself in the same situation again for the sake of a bit of sentimentality.

A sigh escaped the younger woman. "You know that I have a son now."

It wasn't a question, and at least Regina was giving her the credit she deserved. Maleficent picked up a jar and studied the half blossomed flower inside. "I believe I heard something if the sort. The savior's boy, so wouldn't that make him, technically, you step-grandson as well?" She let loose a low chuckle with the look she received. "_That_ must have been interesting." The smile remained and even grew as the woman that had once been her friend glared a little darker than before. "Oh do lighten up, Regina. Don't tell me the boy was the one that the curse was for."

The Evil Queen blinked in surprise. "How did you already-"

It was Maleficent's turn to be irritated. "Surely Rumple told you what he was sending you for."

"Rumple didn't send me. We're not exactly on friendly terms right now."

"Oh? Do tell."

Regina ducked her head a little. "That really doesn't matter at the moment."

"I think it does, since you're likely to cross paths here. I was expecting him, after all. You could see where I assumed he sent you instead. He's never been the trusting sort."

"No, he hasn't," the dark haired mayor answered softly.

The bell rang out, causing both women to turn. Diaval entered and Rumplestiltskin followed in behind him. His dark eyes narrowed a bit when his gaze fell on Regina and her lips tugged downward.

"I suppose you've heard then," he said sharply.

"Henry called."

Maleficent watched carefully and pulled what she could from her mind in regards to what she knew. A rumour had floated about - caught hold by Diaval and delivered - that the Dark One was the savior's son's paternal grandfather. Perhaps it was the boy that had been cursed after all. She was now a little less comfortable with her decision to reach out to him. Belle would have unleashed his wrath, but a grandchild... Maleficent wasn't quite sure what dangers that might bring with it. Especially with the kck she'd added to the spell. Perhaps it would have been best if he hadn't thought her involved at all. Too late now.

Regina spun on Maleficent suddenly. "Do you know anything about the Sleeping Curse given to Emma Swan?"

The Mistress of All Evil blinked. "The savior? Snow's girl?" She was there for her son. Now it made sense. It wasn't the boy, but his biological mother that had been cursed. No wonder the clerics wanted that extra kick to the ingredients. Without it, she'd have at least three people that could have woken her.

"You implied this was no ordinary Sleeping Curse," Rumplestiltskin pressed. "What have you done?"

"Magnus - a very old and persistently irritating cleric - is here. He sent one of his boys to my shop to collect the ingredients."

"What was different about it?" Regina asked.

"As both of you know, all curses can be broken, though I think you'll find that this one is a bit more difficult."

"It would be in your best interest to tell me what you know with your delays," Rumplestiltskin said dangerously.

"Unless the dear girl is _in love_ with the person trying to wake her, she'll continue on in sleep."

"True Love in a specific form?" The Dark One murmured, and Maleficent could see his clever mind calculating something, but her own was distracted by the trembling of her wards. It had nothing to do with Regina's near forced entry or the not-so-subtle antagonistic feelings between she and Rumplestiltskin, but instead felt someone familiar.

"Damn it," Maleficent growled, gaining both of their attentions and Diaval's worried look. The two other magic users must have felt it too because she saw their attention shift just before the glass of the shop's windows shattered inward, a strong wind sending the shards flying.

"They're _here_?" Regina demanded, turning an accusing glare on Maleficent.

"_I_ certainly didn't call them over," the fallen fairy argued. If she had, she certainly wouldn't have put herself in the middle of the chaos.

It was brute strength in numbers that forced her wards to break and they were surrounded before they knew it was coming. Maleficent's dark violet gaze shifted between clerics, knowing that there were more than they could see. The shop was surrounded, and from the feel of it, the first thing they had done was toss out a spell to follow them wherever they teleported. Herself and Diaval included.

"Apparently discretion means something different in this world," one of the clerics said, and Maleficent recognized the one from that morning. Silas. She'd meant to give Rumplestiltskin that name in return for something useful. Now the four of them would be fighting just to survive the encounter. Typical. Just when she had decided that she was growing comfortable in the Land Without Magic, something like this had to happen. Well, at least if her shop had to be ground zero for this battle, she knew she wasn't in it alone. It really had been far too long since she'd taught a do-gooder how foolish it was to toy with the Mistress of All Evil.

* * *

><p>TBC<p>

Notes: Wow, so sorry I didn't get to update on Wednesday. A plot bunny grabbed hold of my ankle and wouldn't let go until 10K of a short was written. It's actually a bit of a background for another story I have in the works relatively shortly. I'll likely put it up to FFN just before I start in on the full-length, but I'll have the first half up on AO3 if you want to go take a look. Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving.

Next time - Bae fears breaking Henry's heart if his kiss won't wake Emma and a battle erupts outside of Maleficent's shop, pitting Rumplestiltskin against Caiden.


	15. Chapter Fifteen

**Chapter Fifteen**

It hadn't worked. No one loved Emma Swan more than her son did, but when David and Mary Margaret also fell short and Killian finally admitted his own failure, Bae felt his hope sink. Henry looked absolutely heartbroken and even Mary Margaret couldn't console him. They'd taken her down the street to the hospital and Whale had given them a bleak outlook on things. The symptoms were just the same for Emma as they had been for Henry when he had been poisoned, Whale had said, and if the same True Love's kiss wouldn't wake her, then he didn't have the answer. A Sleeping Curse left him with nothing to treat in that world.

"Rumple will have the answer," Belle repeated softly, looking up from the seat she'd claimed in the large room they'd been provided with to monitor Emma, and she shifted the bag of potions in her lap.

They were resigned to waiting. It was terrible and nerve wracking, but his papa _had_ said he'd let them know as soon as he had details from Maleficent, who would likely know what the clerics had added to the curse. Bae hadn't been aware that anything could be added to negate True Love, but he also wasn't an expert in the limitations of magic either.

Belle's clear eyes flickered over to him. "I haven't seen you try," she said after a moment.

"She has a point," David murmured and leaned forward in his chair a bit, looking over to where his daughter was stretched out in the hospital bed. "Maybe there's something we missed. Every curse has a breaking point, right?"

"That's what Rumple says," Belle agreed. "Maybe it has to do with the kind of True Love?"

Baelfire stared at them moment. "Even if that's possible, Emma made her feelings clear," he answered after a moment, his voice tight and it pulled a very small smile from the blond prince whose daughter lay dying.

"Sometimes people feel emotions so strongly that they can't quite sort through them." He offered a small shrug. "That's my experience, at least."

"And it was _her_ necklace that traveled across the worlds with you when nothing else did," Belle added.

Bae looked between them and there was some sort of expectation in their eyes. Now he knew how his son had felt with everyone relying on him to wake her. He glanced over to where the woman he loved was growing paler, Killian at her side and holding her hand in his remaining good one with her mother and Henry at her other side, and Baelfire loosed a painful sigh. He had crossed worlds for that woman. He'd been willing to dabble in the darkest of magics if it would give him a chance of reaching her. It had, if only for a few moments, and then he'd died for her. For Emma, for Henry, and for his papa, even if it had taken them a while to free him. He knew he couldn't ask that she love him for it, but Emma seemed to hate him for it instead. Maybe David and Belle were right. Maybe everything was too much. She was damn good at running from her feelings.

One of the machines started screeching.

"Emma?" Hook's startled voice joined in.. "Emma!"

Henry stood at his mother's side, eyes wide, and he looked towards his father. "She's not breathing, Dad," he managed and Bae covered the space between them before he'd given his legs permission to move, pulling his teenage son into his arms and guiding him out of the way.

"I'm not leaving her," Killian argued with one of the nurses that came in, trying to scoot him out of the way.

"Dad, please just try."

Bae looked down to find his son staring up at him and he nodded. Henry was convinced - apparently along with David and Belle - that he could save her, but Bae hadn't wanted to shatter his son's hopes like he knew it would. That, or maybe he didn't want his own shattered quite so badly, he realized with a stab of guilt. He was afraid that it wouldn't work. That, just like Killian when he'd tried to save her, her feelings would become so clear that he'd have to stop lying to himself. At least if he didn't kiss her, he'd never know.

But he'd rather know than lose her forever.

One of the nurses stepped aside, murmuring that there was nothing to do for the woman that was slipping so quickly. He was left alone at her bedside, the others moving back and away, and he could hear Mary Margaret crying softly into David's shoulder. Bae pulled in a deep breath, his hand going to the side of her face and pushing back long blonde strands. "I'm sorry, Emma," he whispered. "I'm so sorry for everything." He was nearly convinced that it wouldn't work as his lips brushed hers and he felt all of that pain and terror rising up in him. She didn't stir and it made its way up in the form of a sob as he held her hand in his. "I'm sorry," he managed again. "I love you so much."

What might have been seconds or hours ticked by, but either way it felt like an eternity before Emma Swan let out a choking cough that shook her, causing him to straighten and he found hazel eyes looking back at him in wonder. They stared at each other for a long moment before she blinked rapidly, a tear or two finally escaping down the side of her face and her hand tightened in his. "Don't leave."

"I won't. I won't ever leave you again," he swore roughly and he found a laugh managing to escape him as she sat up, wrapping her arms around him as best she could with the wires connected.

She echoed it, face buried in the crook of his neck. "He said that no one could wake me up."

"He lied," Henry announced as he piled on the bed. "It just took True Love like yours and Dad's to break the curse."

"True… Hang on there," Emma said as she finally let go.

"There's no denying it now, Swan," Killian said from the corner he'd been shuffled into. Bae turned to see the heartbreak plainly worn across his face. "True Love can break any curse, even if they put limits on it."

"How would they be able to do that though? That seems like it would be pretty strong magic," Mary Margaret said thoughtfully from her spot.

"Rumple should have found out by now from Maleficent," Belle answered, checking her phone. "He hasn't called though. He knew this was rather time sensitive."

"You think he's okay?" Henry asked and Bae offered his son a smile.

"I'm sure he's fine. Belle's right, he knows how important this is. He wouldn't risk Maleficent tricking him or something."

Belle was already dialing a number and she put the phone up to her ear, her brows growing closer and closer together. "He's not answering."

The terror didn't quite set back in, but Bae didn't like it. "Where the hell is my dad?"

* * *

><p>Silas. Rumplestiltskin had tucked that name away when they'd held him prisoner. He was one of the three that had attacked Belle and his main attacker on what seemed like a very personal vendetta in the old house the clerics had chosen for themselves. He was a wildcard, answering only to Caiden and likely Magnus himself.<p>

A wildcard with a dozen well trained clerics at his disposal. If they'd been in the Enchanted Forest the clerics wouldn't have stood a chance, but it was bottled True Love that had brought magic to Storybrooke, and part of the price Rumplestiltskin had been willing to pay was that light magic would have a bit more strength than dark. He'd resigned himself to that at the time because insignificants like the Blue Fairy would be the only ones using it, and with access to his curse again he would be stronger. It also allowed for the savior's power to grow, which had been in his benefit more than once.

It did make for a problem here, though it could be argued that he, Regina, and Maleficent were the most powerful dark magic users in the realms. That was something at least.

"I sincerely hope you have a plan," Regina snapped, a ball of flame coming to her call.

"Destroying them isn't the plan?" Maleficent asked. She was gathering power to herself as well, her eyes glowing as the winds picked up around her.

Rumplestiltskin didn't answer as his eyes scanned the room. Threads of magic were already being woven into place, the clerics hard at work as Silas ran his mouth. The light magic bit back at his own as he began the task of unravelling it, but he knew he'd never finish alone, and Regina didn't allow herself the patience to take it apart as it needed to be done. Maleficent might, but she looked gleefully ready to allow the chaos to rain down.

The magical thread tightened and Regina's flame snuffed out. A startled sound escaped her, but her former teacher ignored it. He almost had the loose end, and when he found it, it would unravel the quick and deadly spell they were working so hard on. Silas was a distraction, but it was a good thing that the Dark One had long ago decided fools held little interest for him.

"_Rumple_!" Regina called sharply and he found what he'd been looking for and pulled.

There was a loud crash that shook the entire shop. Bottles and containers fell from their shelves, loosing ingredients onto the floor and scattering. The spell sent violent waves of power back as it came to its abrupt end and all three dark sorcerers threw a shield up against it. Shards broke through, but Rumplestiltskin pushed hard, swinging the power back at its casters and landed three of the clerics in a heap in the floor, beaten by their own spell.

Silas let out a low growl as he flung a spell forward, but Regina was already in motion, her fiery attack lit once more and the dark magic slammed into his chest. It threw him through the open door and he rolled, landing at Caiden's feet.

The tall man was simply observing, but as Rumplestiltskin moved towards the door he felt the cleric quietly gathering magic to himself. He was not alone, of course, but the Dark One hadn't known that there were that many of them in Storybrooke. It was like they were crawling out of the woodworks now, and he wished he'd been more attentive to the various clerical orders back home. Perhaps if he had he would have had a better idea of what to expect.

"It's time we end this, I think," Caiden said evenly, his pale eyes flashing with power.

Rumplestiltskin glanced back to Regina. He didn't trust her - _couldn't_ trust her - but he knew he must. He couldn't fight them all on his own. Not here and not now.

"Regina dear, shall we let them have their little battle?" Maleficent asked cheerfully. "It's been some time since I hunted clerics."

The Evil Queen shined through the smile that crossed her lips. "Indeed it has."

"Diaval, be a dear?"

The shapeshifter gave a small bow. "Of course, Mistress," he said before taking his leave out the back. Where she was sending him, Rumplestiltskin didn't know, nor did he have time to care. He had to choose to trust those two to handle the rest of them while he focused on Caiden. Magnus' second wasn't as powerful as his master, but he was a handful, and Rumplestiltskin knew he wouldn't have left their last encounters without taking knowledge of how he worked with him.

"You truly are different than the others," Caiden said, his blue eyes focused. "Perhaps you'd be willing to listen to reason?"

"I think you and I have very different definitions of reason," the Dark One answered as he took the first shot. The spell was darker and nastier than he might have bothered with any other time, but these men had hurt his son and threatened his wife and grandson. Caiden had been right. It was time to end this. Rumplestiltskin wouldn't allow anyone else in his family to be harmed by them.

The spell slammed into Caiden's shields and only a portion of it broke through. What did splintered off, slicing into the younger man and leaving thin trails of blood in their wake. He stumbled back at the blow, but didn't lose his footing entirely. Pale eyes narrowed. "You've proven yourself different from every other Dark One, Rumplestiltskin. Won't you think if your family now? There is no safety for them as long as you are under that curse."

"_You_ attacked your family, not me," Rumplestiltskin growled as Caiden loosed a spell at him. He flickered out of existence and then back in a few feet to the right, the cleric's spell having hit through one of Maleficent's shattered shop windows.

It was a distraction, he quickly realized, as a second attack leapt forward and he only had a brief moment to meet it with his own. Dark and light magic sparked between them, both fighting for dominance, and Rumplestiltskin was surprised at how much raw power was behind the young man.

"Really?" Caiden asked as their magic battled for them. "_You_ were the one that let the boy go and set him on a path of pain and misery for the better part of three centuries. You know it well, don't you? Every ounce of it. If he could feel your pain during your shared time, surely you felt his."

Dark brown eyes blinked in surprise. "How do you know that?" he demanded, feeling the magic increase against him. Just how powerful was this cleric?

"Magnus saw much when your son was with us. You hurt him and in turn, he hurt you. Both of you are aware now of just how deeply that goes. Think of him now and think of all the danger your curse has put him through. He will be safe. Wasn't that why you took it in the first place?"

The question seemed genuine, as if Caiden were truly looking for an answer. Precious few knew why Rumplestiltskin had first taken on the Dark One's Curse and even fewer cared to ask. "Yes," he breathed, pulling air deep into his lungs and reminding his own curse why he'd chosen to give it a host that even it had become somewhat fond of. "Yes I did, and I will continue to keep my family safe. I will _not_ abandon them to do it!" He reached deep into his curse, pulling forth darkness fueled by the need to protect those he loved. The magic slammed forward, sparking and threading together in a combination of dark and light that he was certain that no other Dark One had ever wielded before. In fact, he hadn't known that he had been able to wield it.

The magic shattered Caiden's spell and hit the cleric fullforce. It sent him flying back across the street and he landed hard against a parked car on the other side, slumping painfully to the ground. Even though his curse howled against the light magic born of his love for his family, it reveled in the fact that its host was willing to end it now. Rumplestiltskin would enjoy killing this little cleric and he let a dark smile - so very reminiscent of the imp that he had so often hidden behind back home - stretch his lips as he squatted down in front of him.

"I tried to warn you," Caiden whispered, face contorting into a grimace even as he did. The warning flashed almost too late and instinct had Rumplestiltskin tumbling to the side as magic snapped outward. He teleported as he did so, but it caught him along the side, opening up a deep gash along his ribs, slicing easily through the expensive fabric of his suit. He hit the street hard, rolling as he did, and landed face down. Pain shot through him, but it was nothing like he'd experienced at David's hand, or even the clerics' after, so he pushed himself to his feet. He'd never liked pain, but he'd always been able to handle it when there was a goal in front of him. Saving his family. That was all he could care about now. Ending this was all he could focus on.

"I tried to reason with you, but Magnus was right. You can't reason with a demon," Caiden said as he stalked forward, his movements aided by his magic.

"I suppose you can't," Rumplestiltskin answered quietly and flickered out of existence. The cleric's injuries would slow him down more than Rumple's own would, and he had to act fast. He landed behind him, spell already leaving his fingers as he reappeared and Caiden turned directly into it. Pale eyes widened as a curse of Rumplestiltskin's own making spread through him, pulling him apart and unraveling him, using his own magic to do so. "Perhaps your death will make this entirely clear to Magnus: I will not give my life to rid the worlds of this curse. I will control it better and with more precision than any of my predecessors ever hoped to, and I will use it as I see fit. I could have let him live if he'd only gone after me, but now that he's threatened everyone I care for, I'll use that power to crush him."

Caiden could only stare at him in horror as his knees gave way and he dropped, frozen there and staring up at the raging Dark One that remained seething behind the mask of calm. The life was fading from him and Rumplestiltskin watched as it slowly snuffed out, dragging Magnus' most trusted cleric under.

* * *

><p>Regina had forgotten just how well she and Maleficent worked together when they were fighting on the same side. Snow and her little friends could be - and often were - suffocating with their black and white views of the world and what a hero and villain looked like. She still wanted to be better for Henry's sake, but that didn't mean that she couldn't enjoy playing in the grey.<p>

Together they'd nearly cleared the area of their attackers and Rumple looked to be finishing off their leader. She really should make peace with Maleficent after this. It was much more likely than making peace with her former teacher, after all.

Another burst of magic tried to wrap around her and she slammed a fireball at the cleric. He caught it, using a shield of light magic to roll it around and deflect it. Regina grimaced as it nearly clipped Rumple. He turned, darkness rolling off of him strongly enough to make even the former Evil Queen nervous. She raised her hands, motioning towards the cleric that had redirected the attack, and now _he_ looked a little nervous.

Sometimes it was easy to forget just how powerful Rumplestiltskin really was. He had taught her, mocked her, and faced off with her, but even in their worst moments, he'd never really tried to kill her. Even after he'd found Belle he had let her live, because she knew that if he wanted her dead, she'd have been dead long ago. If she ever had a question on it, the sheer power that radiated him - even in this place that limited magic so greatly - reminded her, and the cleric that had been fool enough to deflect the Evil Queen's blow in the wrong direction found himself without a moment to protest as he was dissolved into ash. The bare few that were left were gone in an instant, teleporting away, and leaving the two sorceresses and the Dark One alone in the tattered remains of the street.

"I wasn't aware that your time with the Charmings would hamper your skills quite so badly."

Regina's eyes narrowed. "Excuse me?"

"Really, you used to have quite an aim with those things. Now you can't hit one cleric."

"He _deflected_ it!"

"Not helping your case, dearie."

"Well excuse me for handling all of them while you focused on one," she growled, temper flaring. She'd had more than enough of this. She knew he was angry, she got that, even if she disagreed with it. She'd worked _hard_ for her acceptance - even when he was so convinced that she'd never receive it - and she'd earned what she got.

"You couldn't have handled him and I'd prefer not to see my grandson's mother killed. Speaking of, the whole point of this was to find out what needed to happen to keep Miss Swan from dying, so if you don't mind-"

"Actually, I do. Between the idiot pirate and your son, someone's bound to wake her up. Put a little faith in them, would you?" She paused, leveling a glare at him. "But that's really the point, isn't it? You don't trust _anyone_."

"Who I trust and who I don't is my concern, Regina," he growled. "Though I have a fairly good reason to be weary over trusting any of you beyond Belle and Bae."

The Evil Queen rolled her eyes. "Oh yes. The dagger. Tell me, Rumple, who has it? Because Belle sure as hell doesn't. Does she even know-"

"Don't be absurd."

"You _killed_ Zelena! Unless I have completely misread your little wife, of course."

Regina watched the irritation play out across his face. He was welcome to lie about it, but that would compromise Belle's integrity, and if there was one thing she knew about her former teacher, it was that if he chose to love someone, he did it with all of his battered heart. She just hadn't been certain that he _could_ love anymore before the bookworm came along. There had to be a reason he'd thrown her out after she'd been sent to unknowingly strip him of his dark magic.

"What do you want, Regina?"

She bit her tongue - something that she might not have been able to do before subjecting herself to far more time with the Charmings than she would have liked as of late - and purposefully thought of Henry. He loved his grandpa, despite everything. If he loved this man, she could at least try to curb her ire. "Peace, because I'll likely be dead long before you'll trust me again."

"I never trusted you."

"Now that is a lie," Maleficent said from the side, almost forgotten as she quietly listened to the bickering. "If you don't mind, I'd like to finish this."

Regina lifted an eyebrow. "You want to help?"

"They destroyed my shop, so I'm happy to destroy them."

"Fair enough," Rumplestiltskin accepted with a shrug.

Regina gaped. "_Really_? You two hate each other."

"Hate is such a strong word," Maleficent pouted. "I've had moments when I'm rather fond of him. Sparse, but they are there."

Rumple rolled his eyes and started stalking away. Regina, for her part, felt her old friend's steady look. The usual snark and teases were left behind and she fell into step with the the younger woman. She was silent for a few moments as they walked, aimed steadily at the hospital where they were bound to have taken Emma by now. It didn't take long for the former fairy to break that silence though. She'd never been able to let things lie. "Do you know what I told myself time and again while I was your prisoner down in that infernal basement?"

Nor did she sugar coat anything, Regina thought irritably. "What is that?"

"I reminded myself that you are young."

"I'm hardly-"

"Let me finish. You may not be young by human standards, but to people like Rumplestiltskin and I, you are _all_ children. You haven't had centuries as we have to learn that, even when they don't mean to, the people you care about most can cause you the most harm. You open yourself up and you make yourself vulnerable. Trust is a dangerous thing, Regina."

"I can't live like that anymore. You were right."

"I know. Here's a secret for you: no one can. It eats at your soul more than the darkness ever could, but betrayals aren't easily forgotten."

Regina stared at her old friend, uncertain of quite how to react. She'd thought that they might speak on what had happened, but she hadn't expected this. "I took his dagger," she admitted in a rush, the truth demanding to be told in response to Maleficent's own honesty.

Violet eyes narrowed. "It's one thing to toy with a person's trust, yet something else to toy with their very soul. You may never win his trust back."

A small sigh escaped her as she watched the man that had taught her magic and shaped her into the woman that she had become walked away and it struck her that she _wanted_ his trust back. "I know," she admitted softly. "And what about yours?"

Maleficent chuckled lowly and waved a hand in the air. "My dear, I knew I was playing with fire every time I welcomed you into my home." She pause, the smile never leaving her lips. "But if you ever try to do something of that sort again I will end you."

The threat should have shaken her, but Regina found herself laughing instead. "I'd like to see you try," she answered with a smile of her own. Well, at least one old friendship was back to normal.

* * *

><p>TBC<p>

Notes: Well, it's back to work for me today. Long holiday weekends make me want to curl up and sleep so much :)

Oh, and did anyone else's heart break with the OutlawQueen scene last night? Yep. Mine too.

Next time - Emma tries to come to terms with what she's learned about herself while Rumple, Belle, and Bae find that their home may not be as safe as they'd thought.


	16. Chapter Sixteen

**Chapter Sixteen**

Belle had called several times now and she was beginning to grow nervous. Rumple had no way to know that Bae had pulled Emma back from the brink, but if he'd made it to Maleficent's he would surely know that was the best bet. He wouldn't risk the delay unless something had happened to him.

"Still nothing?" Baelfire asked from where he was sitting with his blonde love.

"Something must have happened," she answered as she stood. "I'm going to go over and check."

"Do I need to come with you?"

A small smile perked her lips. "No, I think you're needed here."

Emma frowned. "I'm not sticking around this place. We'll meet you there."

Belle was almost out the door when the opening was blocked by the same man that had come on behalf of Maleficent. He blinked at her, as if surprised to see her, and she looked steadily at him. Rumple had left with him, but he was coming to them alone. "Where is my husband?" she demanded.

"Fighting the clerics with my mistress and the Evil Queen," he answered. "Maleficent sent me here to tell you, though I've had trouble locating you. It may be over by now."

"We can't get ahold of them," Belle said. "Henry? Try calling Regina?"

"Sure," the teen answered, pulling his phone out of his jacket pocket. His eyes skimmed over something. "Mom texted. She said they're on their way."

Belle felt a rush of relief flood through her. "Is everyone okay?"

Henry shrugged. "She never says a lot in texts."

Emma huffed as she threw back the covers and swung her legs over the edge of the bed. Her mother looked ready to stand in protest if she hadn't had her arms full of baby Neal. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Getting up. If Gold and Regina are on their way from a fight, it won't be long until another one is on our doorstep. Where are my clothes?"

David reached around to where they'd folded her clothes up and handed them to her, a look of resignation on his face as she took them and slipped into the bathroom to change.

The door had just closed when Belle heard the sounds of argument that meant her husband and his former student were within the same vicinity. Bae must have heard them too because he stood and moved towards the door with her. The dark haired man Maleficent had sent made way for them and Belle stepped into the hall. Rumple was glaring irritably at a tall woman that she was sure she'd seen - though she'd never met her - when she was still only the Dark One's maid. She was grinning saucily at him, apparently amused by his short temper. Regina walked silently on the woman's other side. All three of them looked like they'd been through a rather troublesome battle.

"Please tell me that's not his blood," Bae managed and Belle's gaze shifted to look at where his coat was ripped and not quite covering the red-stained dress shirt beneath.

She loosed a long breath but didn't say anything in response. Instead she crossed the remaining space between them and his foul mood was put away as he wrapped his arms around her. "Bae kissed her. Emma's awake."

Rumplestiltskin snorted softly in her ear. "And how did she take that?"

Belle found herself smiling. "I've only met one person in all the worlds stubborn enough to deny True Love, and even he couldn't do it forever."

Her husband had the decency to look a little sheepish and the blonde laughed. "Well, Rumple, I'd hardly believed it, but there really isn't denying True Love."

"No," he answered softly. "There isn't."

"What happened, Papa?" Bae asked. "We've been trying to reach you."

Rumple's lips thinned as he wrapped an arm around Belle - his left arm, opposite of the side that they'd seen the blood on - and they started for the room so that the story wouldn't have to be told ten times over. When they reached it, Emma sat dressed in the bed with an impatient look sprawled across her face. "Well?" she demanded.

The whole room - even Captain Hook who hadn't seemed to know quite what to do with himself after Bae woke Emma when he couldn't - was looking to the three now. Henry moved to stand with his other mother, ready to be of any help that he could be. The boy certainly had inherited equal parts stubbornness and bravery, making it nearly impossible to leave him out of what was happening, even for his own safety.

"You're Maleficent, aren't you?" the teen asked, eying the blonde that was so very obviously a sorceresses.

"I am indeed. And you're the boy that saved the Evil Queen," she answered with a knowing smile. "When this is all over, you and I will have a chat. I know _so_ many stories that your dear mother hasn't told you."

"I don't mean to be rude or anything, but I thought you were dead," Emma said from her place. "Didn't I kill you?"

Maleficent's smile was a little unnerving at best. "Death is so permanent. Surely you wouldn't expect Regina to allow her only friend to _actually_ die?"

"And what about the undead monster?" Hook asked from his corner, his gaze weary.

The sorceresses shrugged. "Resetting the curse did wonders for my complexion."

"On another note," Regina broke in, waving her hand as if to dismiss the conversation. "We have more pressing matters. Magnus' second - Caiden - led an attack at Maleficent's shop. Rumple killed him, but a few of the others got away."

Belle looked up to see her husband's face carefully neutral and her gaze traveled down to try to get a better look at the injury he hadn't acknowledged.

"Magnus will be out for blood," Bae said softly. "I got the impression that those two were as close as Magnus got to anyone."

"We need to end it quickly," Rumple agreed. "I'd wager that Magnus thought he was taking another powerful magic user out of play by putting Miss Swan under a Sleeping Curse as he did."

The blonde savior snorted. "Yeah, well, my magic won't do any good even now that I'm awake." She looked between the three other magic users in the room. "What? Zelena took it."

"No, Zelena _bound_ it," Rumple countered, his dark eyes calculating.

"Whatever. It's still not there. Or not reachable."

Belle watched her husband's expression carefully. He had that look. It was the one that said he knew something and that he was waiting for others to catch up. She felt a smile cross her lips. "True Love's Kiss can break any curse."

"Emma, can you use your magic?" Mary Margaret asked, her eyes wide and curious.

Emma looked over to Bae who offered her a crooked smile in return. There was something unspoken there, and possibly had never been spoken between them, but it was as if they both understood. "I don't want to hurt anyone," she managed uncomfortably.

"You won't," Baelfire assured her.

The nervous look didn't leave her as she lifted a hand up and magic swirled in the air. It was bright and filled with light, the magic dancing for everyone to see. Emma sat mesmerised by it, her eyes following its motion until Regina snorted. "Yes, we can all see you can make the air sparkle a little. I just hope you can still do more than that when we face Magnus."

Rumple rolled his eyes, bypassing her completely. "Bae is right. You must trust yourself, Emma. You have a great deal of potential, but only if you allow yourself to. It is up to you how you use it."

"Do we actually have a plan?" David asked.

"Yes."

Belle glanced up when her husband didn't continue, but he didn't look ready to offer anything further.

Regina made a frustrated sound. "Care to share with the rest of us, Rumple?"

"Not until everything is in order."

"So what, we're just supposed to sit around and wait for you to-"

He turned a glare on her. "If we want to win this, then yes. You're going to have to trust me."

* * *

><p>"You do actually have a plan, right?"<p>

Rumplestiltskin blinked, Bae's voice was hesitant after they'd closed the car doors. Emma had promised to call if she needed anything, but she'd been more than a little certain that her parents would overwhelm her as soon as they got back to the apartment. Regina was begrudgedly going with them to set up wards, though the fact that Henry was there had likely been the deciding factor for the supposedly former Evil Queen.

Truth be told, he hadn't stopped thinking about it since his battle with Caiden. While Magnus' most loyal follower had needed to meet his end, Rumplestiltskin had killed him to appease his curse that had been howling for it. He'd learned a great deal from that fight, and he meant to take that knowledge into the final round with the lead cleric himself. What needed to happen to defeat Magnus was clear to him, but that didn't mean he had to like it.

"Papa?"

He blinked, his son's voice pulling him out of his thoughts and he sighed. "I brought magic to Storybrooke by using a True Love potion I'd bottled before the curse was cast."

"I thought magic couldn't make someone fall in love?" Bae asked, turning the car down the street and towards the collection of houses.

"Not to make someone fall in love," Belle answered for her husband. "Rumple learned how to bottle a potion of True Love itself so that he could have Emma break the curse, but what does that have to do with the clerics?"

"It has to do with the way magic works here," Rumplestiltskin answered softly. "Magic is balanced in the Enchanted Forest, you see. Black and white and everything in between. Rarely does a sorcerer use just one or the other."

Bae glanced over from the driver's seat. "Even you?"

A small smile worked its way onto his features. "Even me, though my curse limits the amount of light magic I can properly work." He shrugged, leaning back against the passenger seat. His wounds from the battle with Caiden were closed, thanks to his magic, but he was still left mostly drained from it after the adrenaline had worn off. "I used the most extreme form of light magic to bring magic to a land that shouldn't, in its natural form, even have access to magic."

"That gives light magic users an advantage, doesn't it?" Belle asked from the back seat.

"It does."

"Well, Emma has her magic back, so that's a start," Bae pointed out.

"And Regina can use light magic," Belle added.

Rumplestiltskin watched the road as they turned into the long drive connected to his house. "It won't be enough. I saw Regina and Maleficent fight them. They both held their own well enough against Magnus' little followers, but if any one of them went up against him directly… They'd be dead."

Bae killed the engine and Belle leaned forward, her hand touching Rumplestiltskin's shoulder. "So what can we do to defeat him?"

"Or at least to give us the advantage?" his son murmured.

"There is a spell. It's very powerful and very old, and it can strip light magic from a person."

"Could you cast something like that in this world?" Belle asked, though she sounded like the thought of a spell like that even existing made her stomach churn just a little.

"It would take an enormous amount of power. I would have to pull on something to be able to channel it."

"Your dagger."

Rumplestiltskin turned, finding his son's dark eyes on him. There was an understanding there like never before. Bae had always hated that dagger, had wanted to destroy it, but now he understood just how intertwined his father's soul was with it. There really was only one escape from the Dark One's Curse, and that was death. "Yes," he breathed after a moment, trying to suppress the terrible feeling that shot through him.

"Wouldn't that make you vulnerable to have it out in the open like that?"

"It would."

"Then we need to find another way," Belle said firmly.

Her husband sighed. She wanted to protect him and he loved her for her bravery, but if he wanted to protect them, this was something he had to do, no matter how much he hated it. "There is no other way. Magnus has centuries of knowledge at his disposal. The only way to take him out is to take him down. It needs to be me and this spell is our best bet."

Bae and Belle exchanged glances, an unspoken conversation evident. "We're with you, Papa," Bae said softly. "Whatever you need to do."

"And whatever you need us to do," Belle added.

"Thank you. It won't be easy."

Belle offered him an understanding smile that made his dark heart melt just a little. "Will you kill him?"

"I don't know."

"With his powers gone, you may not have to.."

"I know, but…" He didn't want to finish it. They both knew what kind of man he was. He wasn't a saint. He wasn't even a good man. He wanted to kill Magnus for everything that had happened and all the pain he'd caused, but he knew that the people that he had allied himself with would disagree, just as they had with Zelena. He'd killed the Wicked Witch as she stood defenceless in her cell, and he'd likely do the same to the cleric who had lived with the sole purpose of destroying the Dark One since the curse had first been formed. He would have to find his own reason if he were to choose to leave him alive. He couldn't bring himself to let him live strictly on the wishes and wants of others. It had to be balanced. There had to be a reason.

"You'll do what you have to, Papa," Bae said as he opened the door and stepped out. "No one will blame you for finishing this."

"Bae," Belle admonished softly from her place and Rumplestiltskin's son shrugged.

"These guys are lunatics, Belle. They're not going to stop. If it's Magnus or my dad, I'll choose my dad every time."

It was said so easily that Rumplestiltskin paused halfway out of his old cadillac, his chest tight, and he looked back around. That was something so many of them didn't get: there wasn't always a third option that kept your hands clean. Often it boiled down to one person surviving or the other, and the fact that Bae was so willing to side with him, even though he likely knew that his love's side of the family would be thoroughly against even Magnus' death - even if he did say no one would blame him, all parties involved knew how black and white the Charmings tended to see the world - said much for their relationship and how far they'd come from that sputtering moment in a little apartment in New York City. "Thank you, Bae," he managed.

Bae grinned crookedly. "I said whatever you need, and I meant it. Now can we get inside before it starts snowing again?"

Rumplestiltskin chuckled, shaking his head a little as he closed the door behind him. Belle smiled brightly and looped her arm through his. "We'll win this," she promised him.

"I know."

The three of them started towards the house and Rumplestiltskin paused, gaining both of their attentions. Something wasn't right. His wards felt off. No alarms had gone off and no warnings seemed to have been given, but he knew his own magic well enough to when something was wrong.

Bae was already at the door and as he opened it he turned, his whole stance screaming worry. "Papa," he started, but his father was at his side in a moment. Rumplestiltskin's dark eyes went wide and he moved past him into the house, taking in the destruction. Furniture was overturned, papers strewn out, and glass littered the floor from where it had been shattered. Someone had gotten past his wards - a truly powerful feat as they hadn't even tipped him off that they'd broken through - and had ransacked his home.

"How did they get in?" Belle managed from behind.

Bae stepped up next to him and Rumplestiltskin could feel the anger rolling off of him in waves. Bae might not be able to control magic with any sort of precision, but if he ever chose to study it and reach for it inside of himself, there was a chance he could be incredibly powerful. He'd certainly been touched by it enough over his lifetime. "And are they still here?"

That's when he felt it. They might have found a way to hide their intrusion into his home, but there was no way to cover the grip on his very soul. Rumplestiltskin thought his knees might give out suddenly and he turned towards the room where his dagger was hidden under a loose floorboard. These people had gotten into his home and past all of his woven magics - or at least _through_ his woven magics - so it was safe to assume that they knew what they were coming for.

"Rumple?" Belle called.

"Papa, what is it?"

"Oh it's nothing," a familiar voice said from the hallway and Silas stepped into view. In his hand was clutched the Kris Dagger. "He just realized that he's been beat."

* * *

><p>Emma didn't know where to begin. They'd been running so hard and so fast - really since the day the curse broke - that there was no clear point of beginning to the chaos anymore. One horrible thing led to the next, piling and compiling on top of each other until she felt like she was drowning beneath it.<p>

But then she looked around her. She had her son and her parents, and apparently even she couldn't deny how much she loved Neal. Her family had been found and expanded like she could never have imagined and they loved her. Emma Swan realized that no matter how much she complained, no matter how much she threatened, or how crazy it got, she would never give these people up. Not one. Heroes and villains and everything in between had come together and it was beautiful.

"How are you feeling?" David asked as he took a seat next to her. "Sleeping Curses are pretty intense."

"Okay, I think," Emma answered after a moment.

"There are usually lingering effects from it, but your mother and I are here for you. Anything you need, you know that, right?"

She didn't hesitate to throw her arms around his neck. "I'm so glad I stayed," she admitted softly and David tightened his grip on her.

"I'm glad you stayed too. We all are."

"I just... All my life I've spent so much time running. I don't think I'm very good at being loved."

David offered her a quirked smile. "Well, there are a lot of people here willing to remind you, and not just in this room." He grinned at her. "But I think even Regina has gotten a little more fond of you," he said in tone that said he knew that the former Evil Queen would hear him.

"Don't get ahead of yourself," Regina groused from her spot where she was securing a ward to keep the clerics out. "I put up with you. That's a long way from being fond of someone."

Henry snorted from his place on the couch with Roland and Robin and received a glare from the mother that had been speaking. He raised his hands in mock surrender. "Hey, don't get mad at me. You're the one that's not being entirely truthful. You always told me not to lie, so I guess I just expected the same from you."

Regina balked. "One year. That's all you were away for and she's turned you against me." The words that might have been spoken with feeling once, and true ire, now left her lips laced with quiet humour. Henry grinned and Robin chuckled, leaving the room with a warmer feeling than Emma could have ever thought possible. For all their talk, somehow they really were a family and she really wouldn't trade that for anything. For the first time she felt something she thought might be peace.

The dark haired mayor motioned her over though, and Emma had known that the reprieve wouldn't last. There was a seriousness in her expression and she turned so that her back was to their son. "We're going to need you on this. You may have your magic back, but can you use it?"

"I think so," Emma said quietly. She'd felt it since they had left the hospital. It was warm and powerful, bubbling up inside of her and intensifying when she felt the need to protect those she loved. "I want to."

"Well look at you," Regina murmured with a small smile. "Congratulations."

"For what?"

"I think you've finally accepted who you are supposed to be."

Emma rolled her eyes. "Did that a while back, don't you think?"

Regina turned a studying gaze on her. "Did you?"

The blonde savior blinked. "What do you mean? I accepted who I was ages ago."

"Not _all_ of you. Magic is just as much part of being the savior as running around and slaying villains. You can't be frightened of it."

Emma watched her former rival carefully and found that Regina didn't appear to be trying to push buttons for once, and the argument died before it ever reached her lips. She had been afraid and she had blamed herself for Neal's death, even when no one else did. If she was going to use her magic, she wanted to use it to help those she loved, not hurt them. "How do I make sure I don't hurt someone I care about again?"

Regina snorted. "You're coming to the wrong person for advice on that," she grumbled, her dark gaze flickering to Henry and her lips twitched downward. "But I'm not sure there's anyone you could ask for advice, because I don't think it's possible."

"What do you mean?"

"People get hurt, Miss Swan. There's no stopping that, but they will if you use your magic or not, and using it gives you a definite advantage."

She nodded slowly, letting the words sink in. Who would have thought she'd ever receive training and advice from Regina Mills? "Thanks."

"We have to be in this to win it."

"I am."

"Good, then you can start by helping me with these wards."

* * *

><p>She saw the terror in his eyes as he stared at the man who held his dagger as his prize. It was the same terror that had been there when Zelena had taken him prisoner. Belle couldn't imagine what it felt like to have your soul held in someone else's hand. It must have been a frightening experience to know that at any moment the person could force you to do harm to the ones you loved most - or even end your life - and you were helpless to stop it. She didn't think that she <em>wanted<em> to know what that would feel like, but in the same way she wished that her love didn't know either. He did, though, and from experiences that she'd hoped he would never have to relive.

Silas stood in their home, the Kris Dagger held loosely in his grip and a smile that made her skin crawl. He turned his gaze on her and she stiffened under it. He lifted the dagger just a little, motioning with it. "The real one, in case you weren't sure."

Belle felt her temper - usually so well in check - rise at the words. "Give that back."

The smile didn't falter. "You really do think that you care about him, don't you?" He turned his gaze back to Rumple as if she were inconsequential. His smile grew. "I never could imagine the power that comes with this. I'd heard, of course, but nothing can truly prepare you for it."

"You'll regret laying hands on it when I get it back, dearie," Rumple growled dangerously.

Silas snorted, gesturing with the dagger and Rumplestiltskin flinched. "You're all bark and no bite now, Dark One. I have complete control of you. You'll do whatever I say."

Pleading with this man was pointless. He was enjoying the tight, uncomfortable look that Belle's husband wore. He was enjoying it so much that he didn't see Bae moving just off to the side.

"Down." The young cleric motioned to the ground with the knife and Rumple grunted as he hit his knees, unable to fight the command. "You murdered my brother and you killed Caiden. I won't let you hurt anyone else."

"Your brother attacked Belle and Caiden attacked me," Rumple answered, his voice strained.

"Shut up," Silas snapped, the command slamming down so hard that Belle could almost see it hit. "I'm taking you back to Magnus and he will end you himself. There's nothing you can do to stop it now."

"Maybe he can't, but I can," Bae growled. Silas turned towards his voice just in time for the elder man to land a painful sounding blow against that would likely blacken his other eye. It sent the cleric to the ground, but he kept a tight hold on the dagger even as he fell.

Bae didn't waste any time following after him. He made a grab for the dazed cleric, but Silas must have had enough of his wits around him to see it coming because he rolled, jumping up to his feet and taking a swipe at Bae that just barely missed him. "You don't have to die here," he said. "You can still walk away from this and have your family. Magnus will let you."

"I'd sooner rot in that hellhole that he created for the rest of eternity," Bae answered roughly.

Rumple remained on his knees and silent, just as he'd been commanded, but his dark eyes were wide and frightened as he watched his son and the cleric scuffle. Baelfire was better suited for a brawl than his younger attacker though. Years in Neverland had likely taught him a great deal about survival and he moved quickly, dodging an attack that would have dealt a nasty cut before he came around to land a blow hard enough to shove Silas into the wall, shaking it and nearly sending a breakable teetering off the shelf. Silas launched himself forward, using the steady wall to push off from and he swung out with his fist this time.

Belle had to dodge as they stumbled past her, but she didn't dare move too far in case Silas lost control of the dagger and and she could scoop it up. She bumped against a small stand and looked back. Rumple still kept pistols in the house, and one was kept tucked away in the drawer within reach. They were left over from the days before he brought magic to Storybrooke, she imagined. The days when he felt helpless, just as he likely felt right now. As Bae and Silas slammed around and Rumple remained stuck to the hallway floor, Belle reached back behind her for a backup plan, fingers searching blindly for the knob to pull the drawer open, but she froze as Silas slammed Bae into the wall, gaining the upper hand on him.

It only took seconds for him to move, but it was like watching it in slow motion as Baelfire's eyes went wide and Silas struck forward with the dagger in his hand, burying it deeply in his side. Bae made a small, pained sound as the cleric tore it back out and his knees gave way, sending him sliding down the wall and to the floor.

Silas turned his angry gaze back to Rumple who looked ready to break. Tears stood in his eyes and his expression was tight, as if he were fighting the command to remain on the floor and silent with everything he had within him. "I could have let him live, you know, if you'd just come quietly. This is your fault, and now you're going to be the one to finish him."

"What?" Rumplestiltskin managed shakily.

"You heard me," Silas growled, holding the dagger up so that the lamplight from the hall caught the name scrawled across it. "Finish him."

_Point this, pull the trigger, and the gun'll do the rest for you_, Rumple had told her once. It felt heavier than she remembered in her hands, but she didn't have time to think about that as she pulled it from the drawer and pointed at cleric that was threatening her family. "Please don't," she said desperately. She wasn't a killer and she knew that, but she wouldn't - _couldn't_ - let this happen.

Silas turned on her and snarled something as he started forward. The gun went off and his eyes widened where he stood. It took a moment - she couldn't have known how long - and his fingers loosened around the dagger and it clattered to the floor. Rumple stopped where he was and pulled in a sharp intake of breath as his battle with his own curse came to an end and the demand for his son's death vanished. Belle knew she should be diving for the dagger even as Silas dropped to the floor with crimson soaking through his clothes, but all she could do was stare blankly at him, frozen in place.

"Belle," Rumple's soft voice filled her ears and she felt him pulling the gun from her hands. "Sweetheart? Look at me."

She wasn't sure when he'd moved and she blinked, realizing he was right in front of her. "Bae."

"Are you alright?"

"Yes. Help Bae."

He leaned forward and she felt his lips brush her forehead before moving quickly to his son's side. Baelfire was conscious, if still dazed looking and they spoke lowly for a moment before Rumple's hands began to glow with healing magic and it wrapped in and around the deep wound. Bae closed his eyes against it, his expression pained, and Belle made herself step around Silas' still form to kneel on his other side.

Rumple was focused on the task at hand and she didn't dare speak. Instead she took Bae's hand, one dark eye cracking open in response. "Good shot," he managed through gritted teeth and the statement that was likely supposed to be a thank you made tears gather in her eyes.

She pushed them back and squeezed his fingers. "I'm just glad you're okay."

Baelfire grunted in response and leaned back. It was several long moments before Rumple finished, his magic knitting the wound back together and Bae loosed a breath, eyes fluttering back open. "Better?" his father asked and he nodded. Rumple offered a tight smile. "The wound's closed and healed, but I can't do anything for the blood loss. You'll feel a little light headed when you stand, so take it easy."

"Thanks, Papa. You too, Belle. You both just saved my life."

She felt his gaze on him, but she couldn't quite meet it without feeling like she might burst into tears. She'd done what she had to and she knew that, but there was a heaviness settling down on her as she looked over to the dead man sprawled out in their front hallway. Slowly, numbly, Belle stood and moved to pick up the Kris Dagger to return it to her husband.

Bae stood carefully where he was and mumbled something about getting a change of clothes from upstairs. Rumple let him go, even if he watched him as he climbed the stairs, and stood slowly to move closer to his wife. "You saved my son's life today, Belle," he murmured softly. "I can never offer the kind of thanks that deserves."

Belle tried to smile for him. "You don't need to think me, Rumple." She handed him the dagger and he took it, Bae's blood immediately falling from it as magic wiped it clean. She could feel his clever gaze studying her, and she wasn't sure how long she could hold the crushing feelings in.

Rumplestiltskin stepped forward and Belle found herself wrapped in his arms. He held her close and the dam broke, tears flooding down her cheeks and a sob bubbling in her throat. "I killed him," she managed and he tightened his hold on her.

"You did nothing wrong, sweetheart. You saved Bae's life and you saved me from the unthinkable. You did nothing wrong. Please believe me."

"He was a horrible man, but…" She looked up, trying to find a way to put the whirlwind of emotions into words. "Why do I feel so terrible?"

Rumple grimaced and leaned forward. His lips pressed against her forehead. She leaned her cheek against his chest and held on, his heart beating strongly in her ear. The sound was soothing, even against the knowledge of what she had done. The world felt like it was spiralling around her, but he was steady. Their love could anchor her through this. She had to believe that or she thought she might go mad.

"Let's get you upstairs," he murmured in her ear.

"What about him?"

"I'll take care of everything, dear. I promise. It'll be like it never happened."

She couldn't imagine it would ever be like that, but she didn't have a chance to argue as he lifted her up into his arms, holding her close against him. She was safe and warm amidst the raging fear and terrible understanding of what she had done. She clung to him as he carried her up the stairs and felt tears pouring down her face.

Rumple settled her into their bed, pulling the covers up around her. "You should check on Bae," she whispered.

"I made sure he was okay," he said, but she could see the conflict shining in his eyes. This was his son that he'd searched so long for and lost so many times already. She knew he needed to be with him and to see for himself that the healing at worked through and through.

"Go. I'll be right here. I'll be fine."

"Are you certain?"

"Certain. Don't be silly. Go."

She thought he might argue again, but instead he leaned down and pressed a kiss against her lips. Belle felt a surge of warmth flush through her, helping to push back some of the pain. "Go," she said again when they broke.

"I'll be down the hall. Call me if you need anything."

"I will."

She watched him leave and the warmth left with him. Belle tucked herself further beneath the quilts and closed her eyes, trying to remind herself that she'd done what she had to do to protect her family.

* * *

><p>TBC<p>

Notes: So, these last few chapters are a bit crazy and fast paced. Hope you're enjoying reading them as much as I did writing them. I finally have an end number for this: 19 chapters, meaning we're in the last few here. After that I have a couple of two-shots and then another full-length that I've started writing away on called Burn the Worlds. I'll let you know more at the end of this story :)

Next time - Belle comes to terms with what she has done, Bae and Emma have a chat, and everyone prepares to face Magnus.


	17. Chapter Seventeen

**Chapter Seventeen**

Rumplestiltskin slipped out into the hall, still fighting with himself over where he should be. Silas had nearly killed his son. Just a few moments later and he could have slipped beyond his reach as he slipped back into death. The dagger - _his_ dagger - had ripped a hole in him, slipping through his ribs and puncturing a lung. Bae would have drowned in his own blood had he not been able to get to him in time to heal him, or worse, _he_ would have killed him on orders of the cleric that held his dagger. He hated that Belle was in pain, but without her actions Bae would be dead by his own papa's hand. Rumplestiltskin could barely bring himself to think on it.

He stood outside her a son's door, indecision and thoughts of what could have very easily been holding him there. Every time he reached to knock his hand froze and he'd pull away. He was a coward. He had always known that, and now he didn't want to face anything, but at the same time he couldn't crush the need to be with them both.

The door opened and Bae stood in front of him. He was pale, but other than that he looked well for a man that had nearly bled out on the floor downstairs. He offered a crooked smile. "Hey."

Rumplestiltskin gave a tight one in return. "How're you feeling?"

"Tired, but otherwise okay I think. I know I used to complain as a kid when you tried to use magic to heal me, but it turned out pretty useful." He paused, and Rumplestiltskin felt dark eyes that were the same colour as his own studying him carefully. Bae leaned against the doorframe. "This wasn't your fault, Papa."

The words only cut the ache a little deeper. "We both know what happened," he whispered. "What _would have_ happened if Belle hadn't been there."

Bae's smile thinned out and he motioned into the room. His papa followed him, glancing back towards the barely propped door he'd left open so that he could hear Belle call if she needed him. His son took a seat on the bed, looking tired. "How's Belle?"

He opened his mouth only to close it again. Traumatised? No, that wasn't his Belle. She was strong and she was brave. She would get through this, but he hated that she was suffering now. Her pure heart wasn't made for taking another person's life, even if it was a man bent on killing the man she loved and his son. It had needed to happen, but that didn't make it any easier on her, and Rumplestiltskin would have given anything to have eased that burden.

Bae reached out and took his hand, grabbing his attention. "She'll be okay, Papa."

"I know," came the automatic response.

"You just wish you could have done it for her to keep her safe."

Rumplestiltskin met his son's eyes suddenly. Bae had always been intuitive, but even he shouldn't have been able to guess his thoughts so precisely. It was true that Rumple would have done the deed himself, but by the time he'd finished patching Bae up Silas was gone. Likely Belle's shot had killed him very quickly, but even he knew that wouldn't comfort her. Bae seemed to know that, though, and it set an uncomfortable feeling deep within his father's chest as he was reminded that one other act that had been meant to save him had left him with the knowledge of even those darkest corners of his mind that he didn't often venture into.

"Sorry," Bae offered, looking a little sheepish as if he knew exactly what he'd done. "I know that you don't like people to pry. Even me. I get it, though. Sometimes I wish I knew what I do now then. You know, before I came to the Land Without Magic. I think things would have worked out a lot differently."

Rumplestiltskin blinked, finding that Bae was having a hard time meeting his gaze as he spoke. He steeled himself with a deep breath before taking a seat on the bed next to his son.

"Guess Henry wouldn't have been born then," he sighed. "You always did say that things happen for a reason-"

"I'm so sorry, Bae," Rumplestiltskin said in a rush. His son knew exactly what had nearly happened. He'd been there when Zelena had controlled him and knew how _absolute_ the orders were that came from the person who held the Kris Dagger. He might be dancing around it because neither of them really wanted to admit it out loud, but they couldn't let it fester either. Rumplestiltskin had lost his son too many times to allow anything to ever come between them again. Honesty might not have been the best colour in him, but he could at least pretend for Bae. He deserved that much.

"It's not your fault, Papa," he tried again and Rumplestiltskin shook his head.

"It wouldn't have mattered had Belle not been there."

"But she was and you saved me. You weren't the one that hurt me."

"But I would have."

"Not because you chose to." He offered an attempt at a smile and leaned to the side, his shoulder nudging Rumplestiltskin's and causing him to meet his eyes. When he did, he saw his son's open palm waiting for him. "We're going to get through this," Baelfire promised. "All of us. I trust you, Papa."

"I trust you too, Bae," he managed, trying to ignore the way his voice broke and he took his son's offered hand and held tight. "I love you more than you'll ever know."

The younger man chuckled. "I've got a pretty good idea," he answered and squeezed it. "You still want to use your dagger to cast this spell?"

"The fact that this is our best chance to end it hasn't changed." He pulled in a deep, steadying breath. "I need to make sure that you, Belle, and Henry are safe. I can't do that while Magnus is able to hurt us like he is."

"He's not going to stop, is he?"

"Not as long as he's fool enough to feel that he can kill me. He'll destroy everyone that I love to try to do it, and I won't let that happen."

"How long will it take?"

"I'll have everything in place by morning. You should get some rest."

Bae frowned a little. "I was planning to go over to Emma's after all the craziness died down."

"You'll have time for all that, I promise, son. For now, let's focus on keeping our family safe, shall we?" He stood, offering a smile. "If you need me, let me know."

"You'll get some sleep too, won't you?"

Rumplestiltskin's lips quirked as he started for the door. No reason to lie to his son when Bae would know it anyway. There was no sleep for him tonight, only preparation. Come first light, this had to end.

* * *

><p>Bae sank back to the bed heavily and fell against the pillows. The lights were still on and he knew his father would retreat into his and Belle's room for the night for any preparation that was needed for the spell. He wouldn't have been able to focus on what he needed to unless he were within shouting range of them both.<p>

A sigh escaped and Baelfire chuckled. His father's overprotective nature had taken many forms over the years, but sometimes it was warranted. More so in recent years, it seemed. No matter how hard they fought - no matter how hard his papa tried to find something close to the right path to take, at least for those that he loved - something always seemed to come crashing down around them.

He stretched, pulling his shirt up to inspect the mostly-healed wound that had nearly killed him less than an hour before. His papa's magic had likely already dealt with their dead cleric and Magnus would be raging by the morning hours. A pink scar was all that remained of the jagged wound left by the Kris Dagger and while it felt a little stiff, the pain had nearly completely subsided. He would be ready come morning for anything that they had to face.

The buzzing sound coming from his jeans that had been tossed into the corner of the room - blood soaked and dried into them to the point that they'd likely be thrown away when he had more time to think about it - caught his attention and Bae rolled off the bed reluctantly. His old cell phone had come through with the second curse, landing itself in his father's home in a pile of stuff, and he'd found it several days before. His papa and Belle had been the only ones that had called him on it, so he was surprised to see Emma's face light up the screen. He found himself smiling at the memory of when he'd snapped the photo of the very reluctant model. It'd been before they knew that Pan had followed them from Neverland and he'd wanted so desperately to have just one more chance with her. Now maybe they'd actually get that chance. He tapped the answer button, the smile not fading. "Hey, Emma."

"Hey," she answered slowly, as if he'd been the one to call her and she wasn't quite sure what to say. "You uh… got any more information out of your dad?"

"Yeah. He has a spell that can strip Magnus of his magic." He sat back on the bed, feeling the room spin a little.

"Seriously? Why haven't we tried this yet?"

"It takes some preparing, I think. And it's risky."

"To who?"

"To my dad. He has to use his dagger for a power source."

"And he's willing to do that?"

"Yeah. He's willing to do a lot to protect his family."

"Guess that runs in the family, huh?"

Bae blinked, wondering if he'd heard that right. "I… My dad is really good at grand gestures. Sometimes too good, you know? To the point that he goes overboard. I just do what I can."

Emma snorted softly on the other side of the line and he could tell she was trying to be quiet, like she'd snuck away to call. Knowing her family, she probably had. "Yeah, because dying so that we could defeat the Wicked Witch wasn't a grand gesture."

He sighed, gripping the phone. "I'm sorry, I didn't know what else to-"

"That's not what I meant!" she argued instantly, cutting him off. "I'm not bashing you for it. You saved us all. You were a hero. You _are_ a hero."

"Nah," Bae chuckled, just happy that it sounded like she wasn't trying to blame him for dying again. "I'm just a spinner's kid from the Frontland that lands himself in all sorts of crazy things. Like a crazy cleric that wants to wipe my dad off the the face of the worlds and put the woman I love under a Sleeping Curse." He stopped, his breath catching as he realized what he'd said. Sure, he'd woken her up from the curse, but that didn't give him the go ahead to assume that she was going to act on the love that she apparently felt. She'd already told him in Neverland that she loved him, but that it hurt too much.

"I love you too," she whispered on the other end, pulling him from his thoughts.

"But?"

"No buts. I love you too. I… I've been trying to stay away because I thought it'd keep you safe."

"Well, if it helps any, I can manage to find danger all on my own." No need to tell her the specifics of the fact that he'd almost bled out in his father's front hallway that evening. Those kind of stories could wait until after they'd defeated Magnus.

She laughed. "Yeah, and together we're always bound to find it. I'm just… I guess I'm just scared."

"Me too."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah, but we're in this together. If you want to be."

"I do."

Bae found himself grinning like a madman. "I love you so much, Emma. I just… Should I come over?"

He heard her groan. "No. _Everyone's_ still here. The only way I got away from my parents' crazy overprotective run is that I said I was tired and needed some sleep before tomorrow. Seriously, who sleeps after a Sleeping Curse?"

"You want to sneak out and come over here?" Bae asked with a growing grin and Emma laughed.

"Yeah, because that wouldn't send everyone into mass panic."

"True. Guess I'll see you tomorrow for the big day, huh?"

"Guess so. Fighting evil and saving Storybrooke. Our crazy life."

"Sounds like it."

"Sleep well, Neal."

"You too. Give Henry a kiss for me."

"Will do." Then she was gone and Bae felt like he was floating. Or sixteen years old. He fell back against the pillows grinning and closed his eyes. Emma loved him. She wanted to be with him. With those two things confirmed, he thought he could face anything.

* * *

><p>She heard him come back in but didn't stir. Instead Belle just listened, mentally following her husband's soft footsteps as he walked into the little study they'd set up in the sitting room at the other end of their bedroom. She could hear him set the books he was carrying down before padding his way over towards the bed. Rumplestiltskin paused there, and she could feel his eyes on her before he leaned down and pressed a light kiss to the side of her head, but she didn't dare move. She couldn't. He would ask her how she was feeling and she couldn't lie to her True Love. No matter how many times that she told herself that she'd saved both of their lives she couldn't quite banish the vision of the cleric lying dead in their front hall, blood spilled out around him, and eyes staring vacantly at the ceiling.<p>

The door to the bathroom squeaked a little as Rumple pulled it closed behind him and Belle sighed, letting her eyes drift open. She'd killed a man. How could she ask her husband to be better if she had done the same thing she'd once asked him not to do? She could feel the darkness pulling at her soul and threatening to take it under. She wanted him to be better, to make the right choices, but had she done so?

Belle heard the water switch on in the bathroom and she sat up. It all came down to choices, she knew. One choice led to an action that eventually ended in a result. "I chose to protect my family," she said softly to herself, walking through each step in her mind and forcing herself to think about it logically. "I chose to make sure they were safe. I took action to protect them, and that brought about a murderer's death." The words sounded cold to her, but they were also true. If she hadn't acted, Bae would have died and Rumple would have been taken off to Magnus - after being forced to kill his own son - and Magnus would have killed him in turn. She hated it, but it was what had happened, and in the end she was willing to bare the price of guilt if it kept her family safe.

She tossed the sheets off of her and swung her legs over the side of the bed, padding over to where Rumple had left what he needed to cast his spell. She looked over it, not touching anything for fear of knocking something out of balance without knowing she would do so, and she could almost feel the power radiating off of the books that he'd chosen. Her husband might have teased her for her own literary loves, but he was well read and very quick to pick up any subject that he chose to study. His clever mind clung to knowledge like a liferaft, and from everything he'd told her of his time before he was the Dark One, she thought she understood why.

The water shut off and a few moments ticked by before the door opened, loosing steam into the room. Rumplestiltskin walked out in a pair of sleeping pants and was towling his damp hair off. His wife watched him as his gaze drifted first to the bed and then to where she stood. "Hey," he greeted.

"Hey. How's Bae?"

"Tired, but he'll feel better by morning."

"Not planning on sleeping tonight?"

"This needs to be done. Caiden followed directly by Silas… Magnus will be out for blood and I'd like to meet him with something prepared. I'm tired of playing on the defencive with this man."

Belle couldn't begin to wrap her mind around the hate that Magnus felt for the man that she loved. She understood wanting to banish the darkness, but he was going about it in all the wrong ways. He didn't see the human that resided beneath the curse. Rumple was different than his predecessors, and that _should_ have mattered, but they were just as desperate to kill him as they were any of those that had come before him. "Is there any way that I can help you?"

"You really should get some rest, sweetheart," he said, taking a seat and picking up one of the books. With a twitch of his hand a pad of paper and a pen appeared and he leaned forward to the table to scribble something down already.

His wife scrunched her nose up at the thought. "I don't think I will. Not tonight."

He looked up at that and she knew that he understood why. He had seen horrors in his many years of life, and he knew the nightmares that they brought with them. "Will it distract you if I sit with you?"

"It may, but I'm willing to risk it," Rumple answered with a small smile quirking the edges of his lips. Belle returned it and kissed his cheek before taking a seat, pulling one of her own books from a stack she kept next to the antique love seat that they were now sharing. She curled up into it, legs folded up under her and Rumple continued scouring through parts of the spell books that he needed. She wasn't sure if he was writing his own spell or if he was simply covering all bases to keep them safe, but whatever the case was, her husband was a clever, clever man and his mind was working quickly on the problem at hand.

Belle leaned closer to him, kissing his bare shoulder and her hand lingered on his back. "We'll win this."

"I know," he answered, his pen only pausing briefly.

"I love you."

He turned, his dark eyes focused entirely on her for a moment before he leaned in and pressed his lips against hers. The kiss lingered and she found his fingers tangling themselves in her hair and she held onto him as if her life depended on it. The power of True Love's Kiss rushed through them both and she felt better, if not entirely herself. If she had not killed that man then Rumplestiltskin would not be with her now, and she was not willing to trade her time with him for anything in the worlds.

* * *

><p>Morning dawned far earlier than Regina would have liked. She met Henry at Granny's first thing to drop Roland off with him there - both promising very sincerely that they would stay until everything was dealt with. She then fastened a small charm around either of the boys' necks and kissed them on top of the head, her teenage son offering a smile up to her as he wrapped his arms around her. "You wouldn't let anything hurt us, Mom, and I won't let them hurt Roland."<p>

"I am so proud of you sweetheart," she answered and returned the hug. "More than I can say." He was growing up and someday he might not let her hold him quite so close. Then again, Henry was so very different from other boys his age, and he knew so much more. His family was everything to him and he was everything to his family.

"They'll be safe, Regina," Snow promised her, setting baby Neal's carrier down and offering her step-mother a smile. "Between your charms, Granny, and me, nothing is getting to these boys."

"And me," Leroy protested.

"And you, of course."

Regina's dark eyes swept over the bow and arrow that the younger woman had slung over her shoulder and then to the cross bow that the innkeeper had on her. Charms had already been laid - she and Maleficent had come over the night before to make sure of that - and she'd done everything she could to protect her son and the boy that had already begun to call her _mama_. "And the blue bug still hasn't shown?"

Snow's green gaze faltered and she found something just beyond Regina to look at as she sighed. "David went by the convent, but the nuns won't or can't say anything about it. I don't think they want to get involved."

"Makes it easy for them in not choosing a side. I guess they come out winners every time, don't they?"

"They've chosen sides before, Regina, but this must be hard for Blue. She trusted Magnus."

"She also said she'd help us defeat him," the former Evil Queen groused.

"You guys don't need her," Henry offered with a bright smile. "You'll win because you're doing what's right. You'll come out on top."

His mother sighed and pulled him into another hug, kissing his head again. "I hope so. As long as you have faith in us, I'm sure we'll be okay."

"I'll always have faith in you, Mom."

The door to the diner jingled and Robin stuck his head in. Roland's eyes grew wide and he rushed his papa, the outlaw sweeping him up into his arms. "Hey there, little man. Are you going to watch out for baby Neal today?"

"Yes, Papa," Roland answered immediately.

"And you'll listen to Henry, won't you?"

"Yes, Papa."

"And do what Granny and Snow tell you?"

The little boy huffed. "Yes, Papa. Do you have to go?"

"I do, but Regina and I will be back for you. Promise."

Regina felt her heart melt just a little more than the puddle of goo her own son had reduced it to and she tried for a smile. "We'll be back," she concurred, and reached into her pocket for the final pendant. She handed it to Snow. "I don't think they'll go after Neal, but just in case."

The young woman that she'd chased down for so long looked touched by the gesture and might have started going on and on about it had Regina not rolled her eyes and turned towards the door. "Just keep my sons safe, won't you?" she ground out and joined Robin at the door.

"Sons?" he asked as they heard it close behind them and Regina had to struggle not to turn back to the boys one last time. If she did, she might not leave.

"He called me mama."

Robin grinned and took her hand as they started towards the pawn shop.

* * *

><p>Having the people that had fought against him for so long standing behind him now was a change. He thought it was a welcome one, but it was so new and so strange that Rumplestiltskin wasn't quite willing to take that leap and call it that just yet. Instead, he was content to watch them as they gathered in his shop, shifting through the protections only because they had permission to do so. He was determined that this would be on his terms, though a vision that had hit hard the night before did tell him that this was the moment. This was their only chance at winning now. The alternative wouldn't be pleasant for any of them.<p>

The so-called heroes of Storybrooke stood around his shop, conversing with villains and choosing the grey rather than the strict black and white that they'd clung to for so long. Charming stood looking a bit awkward as Maleficent smiled her devilish smile and reminded him of their oh-so lovely encounter, as she called it, and mentioned that Emma had had a similar one after. The blonde savior did her best to ignore the conversation, instead speaking lowly with Bae who looked much better this morning. He looked ready for a battle with his cutlass in one hand and Rumplestiltskin was once again faced with the fact that his son had grown up, though at least he had grown up well. He'd never known what he would find when he came looking for his boy in the Land Without Magic, just that he would find him alive. It hadn't surprised him, per se, that Bae was a man and no longer a child, but it did make his papa's heart ache a little at times. He was standing _with_ him though, and that was more than he could have ever asked for.

Regina and Robin strode in the front door of the shop after having gone to drop the boys off. The person that followed behind them - possibly just to ride in on their acceptance into the shop - was not expected. From the looks on the others' faces, it looked like no one had really expected Captain Hook to show, but there he was, looking a bit sheepish in his arrival.

"Killian," Bae greeted, stepping forward a little. "Hey-"

"I thought I'd lend a hand - or a hook - if you lot would have me," the pirate said, his voice strangely uncertain and his gaze lingered on Emma. "No expectations, love," he assured her at the uncomfortable look she met him with.

"Killian, you get that this guy is after my dad, right?" Bae asked seriously. "You know, my dad that _you've_ been trying to kill for the last three or so centuries?"

Hook smirked at that and turned bright blue eyes on Rumplestiltskin who frowned in return, but said nothing. "I'm not doing this for the crocodile. These people attacked Emma, and they've attacked you. She may have chosen you, Baelfire, but that doesn't make my feelings for her any less real." He paused, looking as if he were forcing himself to meet Bae's gaze. "Or the fact that I once counted you a friend before I spoiled it."

A slow, crooked smile perked Baelfire's lips. "Yeah, you did screw that up pretty good, didn't you?" he teased and Emma sighed heavily at his side. Bae turned his gaze on Rumplestiltskin. "It's your call, Papa."

The Dark One pulled in a deep breath, studying his old foe, but it was his wife's hand on his arm that stopped him from kicking the pirate out right then and there. "Rumple," she said gently and he heard everything that she didn't say. It was time for new beginnings and time to give the trust he'd received.

He loosed the breath and his dark eyes caught the blue gaze of the pirate. "It's not like we have time to kick you out anyway."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Hook demanded.

Regina turned towards the door and she was the one that answered. "He means that Magnus is here."

* * *

><p>TBC<p>

Notes: Is anyone else a little disappointing in the direction Rumple seems to be running in the show? Maybe I should wait until next week. I'm really hoping they're just trying to misdirect us into thinking he wants to take over the world.

So we're winding down on Where Nightmares and Darkness Meet! Just two more chapters! If time permits, I'm going to make an update Wednesday and then another one of Friday to go ahead and wrap this story up.

Next time - The final battle with Magnus is here.


	18. Chapter Eighteen

**Chapter Eighteen**

The winds were howling outside now, a storm so suddenly upon them that magic was the only possible excuse. A dark cloud had descended over Storybrooke and Emma could feel the chill wrap around her, working its way into her very being. She glanced over to Regina, Maleficent, and Gold, finding their expression solemn and ready for whatever came their way.

A sharp tapping sound came from the back office, like a bird hammering away at the window on the door, and Maleficent disappeared into the back for a moment, returning with a black bird perched on her forearm. She cooed lovingly at it before magic swirled and Diaval stood tall and proud in the center of the pawn shop. "The last two battles have severely hurt their numbers," the shapeshifter said. "To our nine I only show fifteen of his clerics and their master." He turned coal-black eyes on Gold. "I do not envy you, Dark One. He's howling for your blood."

"Everyone needs to learn a bit of disappointment now and again," the shop owner said with a shrug. "I'm happy to teach him. Emma, are you ready for this?"

She glanced to Neal who stood by her side and to her father who stood at the opposite shoulder. This was it. She had trained before she left and she had trained to defeat Zelena, but in the past months she'd done nothing without access to her magic. Now that it had been freed up she could feel it burning inside of her, ready to leap to her command. The lack of training didn't seem to matter as much with the drive that she found within herself. "To protect my family? Yes."

A smirk tilted his lips. "Good girl."

"It seemed to work well going after the clerics first and then hitting their leader," Regina said, but her eyes were on Gold. "Can you handle Magnus until then?"

"Dearie, you better hope I can handle him with or without you, because they'll give you hell out there. Magnus is all mine."

"You're not in this alone," David reminded him firmly. "We'll take out the clerics, but if you haven't had the chance to cast the spell by then, you may need a distraction."

Gold's lips thinned out, but the expression that he wore said that he was having trouble finding a way to disagree. Instead he nodded. "Don't get yourselves killed."

Belle tipped up on her toes and pressed a kiss against his cheek. "Don't you get hurt either."

"Well, let's not keep this bastard waiting any longer," Emma broke through, motioning towards the door. "He'll rip the whole street apart from the sounds of it."

She started to move forward with everyone else, but Hook caught her arm. She winced, not because of the hold, but because she hadn't known how to tell him what he already knew. She had made her choice, but he was still willing to risk his life. "Be careful, Swan."

"You too," she managed, and as he moved past her she couldn't quite crush the feeling that the words had been meant as his own goodbye.

Even as she watched him she felt a hand take hold of hers and she saw Neal at her side. He offered her a small, encouraging smile. "We're going to win this," he told her.

"I know. We have to."

They stepped out together and Emma felt her magic come to her call. It swirled inside of her and built as she took in the storm that was raging outside. It reminded her of when the wraith had been summoned to Storybrooke and how the destruction could have torn apart the little town. She felt Neal squeeze her hand and her gaze fell on the clerics. They stood in a line, but parted, giving way for their leader.

Magnus stepped forward and she'd never felt so much power radiating from one person before. She couldn't imagine that one person could hold it without it splitting them open. If it was causing him a problem, though, he didn't show it. Instead he looked on with his sightless eyes and a terrible smile pulled at his features. In that moment Emma knew that he cared little for the losses he had suffered, but only for his goal that he was so determined to reach. There was no bargaining with a madman.

* * *

><p>It was an impressive display of power like few that Bae had ever seen before. He risked a glance back at his papa and saw a careful mask that he had slipped into place, hiding his own assessment behind it. Belle stood by his side, head held high and the picture of strength. He'd told her once that she made him stronger, and his son knew it was true. He'd never have predicted it, but they had found each other, and she had saved his soul. Blue, for all of her less than honest motives, had once told him that it was his papa's love for him that let him hold onto a sliver of his humanity. It was Belle, though, that gave him the strength to be a better man, and for that Baelfire was eternally grateful.<p>

The winds picked up around them and the line of clerics rushed forward, meeting them in the middle. His papa had enchanted his blade and he deflected a burst of magic, snapping it back at his enemy. His movements were quick, born of centuries of fighting for his life in Neverland. One of the clerics - he recognized him from his time with them, but had never gotten a name - met him with a blade of his own. The steel clashed and he leaned forward. "If your father had taught you magic, perhaps you would have had a fighting chance."

"Go ahead and underestimate me," Bae growled, sidestepping and the cleric nearly lost his balance. He slammed the hilt of his cutlass against the back of his head, sending him to his knees. He dodged the flung magic and met him as he stood, slamming steel against steel in attack and parries. He caught an opening and struck, his blade catching his opponent and downing him.

"Bae!"

He spun, the warning what he needed to catch the magical attack and send it flying back at the cleric that had been aiming at him. Dark eyes flickered to Hook and he nodded his thanks, but the pirate's attention was taken away from his own battle. Bae jumped forward, but not fast enough as a blast of magic hit Killian square in the chest, sending him slamming back, skidding and rolling until he finally came to rest face down on the street.

"Killian!" Emma shouted and Bae had to make a grab for her before another burst of energy landed her in the same heap. There was nothing more that they could do for him where they stood currently and they were closing in fast.

"Feels like a lot more than fifteen," she growled as they came back to back.

"Doesn't mean more aren't crawling out of the woodworks."

"You think your dad is going to be able to do it?"

"My dad doesn't lose," Bae answered with a tight smile. He glanced over to where David had just taken down another cleric and the smile didn't fade. "And neither does yours."

"Guess I should have more faith, huh? Stay close."

He didn't move as he felt magic swirl around them. It built to the point that he could see the swirls of white, gold, and pale blues twirling and dancing. The light magic wrapped around them like a protective shield, and as several of the clerics rushed them Emma let loose and colours exploded outward, washing over their attackers and taking them to the ground. Bae took a quick count and saw six men laid out. "Wow," he breathed. "That was amazing."

"Thanks."

"And look at that. You got the bad guys," he teased.

"Yeah, I guess I did. Now let's make sure one idiot pirate didn't go and get himself killed trying to be a hero."

* * *

><p>Baby Neal was crying and Grandma Snow was rocking him as best as she could. The poor little guy could probably feel the tension that weighed down on the diner. There were no patrons, as people had been advised to remain in their homes. Surprisingly enough they seemed to be listening for now, but as soon as sparks started to fly they'd start to inch out to look.<p>

"I'm scared, Henry," Roland said as he tugged on the older boy's sleeve.

Henry offered him a smile. "There's no reason to be scared. Good guys always win. They'll be okay."

"Wish I had your faith, kid," Leroy - armed with his axe - groused as he leaned back against the bar. He, Granny, Ruby, and Grandma Snow were there with the three boys, though he and Ruby were on standby to handle any citizens that got too curious.

Ruby and Grandma Snow shot h a look. "Henry is exactly right," Grandma Snow told him. "Heroes always win."

The dwarf shrugged. "Just sayin' the lines are kind of blurred this time around, what with adding Rumplestiltskin and Maleficent to the battle against clerics. That's kind of like going to war against fairies if you ask me."

"It's nothing like going to war against fairies," Grandma Snow huffed. "These people attacked us. They used David to try to _murder_ Rumplestiltskin."

"Yeah, but all I'm saying is he ain't a saint, sister. Maybe we shouldn't have put the whole town in danger just to save him."

"Henry?"

The teen blinked, Roland's voice pulling him out of his fuming state he'd nearly lost himself to and tugging all attentions over to him. "He saved us once. It's our turn."

Grandma Snow beamed at him and Ruby moved to the window. "Guys, look at this."

Henry inched forward with Roland clutching his hand fearfully. The sky was alight with sparking colours of magic that highlighted a dangerous and dark storm cloud over the pawn shop.

Ruby looked back, brown eyes serious. "It's begun."

* * *

><p>David learned long ago how to fight an opponent with a different skill set than he had. He'd fought men with swords, arrows, and magic of all types. It came down to knowing how to approach them and how to use his own skills against their weaknesses. The clerics were no different in that respect, but they were different than anything he'd come across in quite some time.<p>

Magic swirled around him, pulling him up in the air and his sword was worthless against it. It tightened around him, cutting off his air and he felt the weight begin to crush on on him. The harder he struggled, the more it hurt, and he felt it prying his limbs outward, opening him up to a more violent blow.

Without warning it released, dropping him to the ground hard and two of the clerics that had been on the attack fell dead. "Need some help, handsome?"

David looked over, finding Maleficent standing with her hand outstretched and that unnerving smile of hers plastered across her painted lips. She reached up, her shape shifting bird lighting on her arm and she seemed to listen for a moment.

"Thanks," he tried, not able to linger until she was done as another blow fell close and he barely caught it with his blade and redirected it. There were more than they'd previously anticipated, but he thought that there were more than had originally shown. One glance over showed Rumplestiltskin standing against Magnus as if they were the only two sorcerers in all the worlds. Something inside of him told David that when they came to actual blows, he and the rest of them needed to be out of the way.

Then it happened. Power leapt up from them and clashed, sparking and lighting the street on fire. One stray arc pushed straight through a cleric's chest, dropping him without delay. There was no way to tell which sorcerer it had come from and he found himself standing unprotected in the middle of the street.

Another arc struck out and he rolled out of the way, landing hard on the asphalt.

"_Dad_!" Emma's voice sounded and magic swept him clumsily up, pushing him out of the way before a chunk of the street exploded upward where he'd been.

David landed at Neal's feet and he helped him up. "Stay close," he advised and the prince's blue eyes widened. Emma, Regina, and Maleficent all stood with their hands outstretched and a dome of magic that he could see wove in and around each other in shades of dark, light, and somewhere in between.

Belle reached forward, grabbing David's attention. "It's up to Rumple now."

* * *

><p>In his centuries as the Dark One, Rumplestiltskin had seen many different kinds of sorcerers. Some claimed to use light magic, others dark, but rarely did they admit the truth: that most magics tended to reside somewhere in between. They might call it <em>light magic<em> and _dark magic_, but rarely was it as simply as that. Even he had been known to use magic that tended towards the lighter end of the scale from time to time for healing and the sort, but it took someone like him - someone filled with the darkest of curses - to be able to reach into utter darkness and use the magic found there. Few humans could wield pure light magic. Oh, they could do as Regina had done and summon up a bit of bright magic that tended towards the lighter end, but it was never pure, just as humans were not. There was always something to tug a soul down, even in the best of people, so when someone claimed to use pure light magic, Rumplestiltskin found himself very skeptical. Especially when said person was willing to sacrifice anything in his path to wipe out his enemy.

Even so, few human beings could even harness the kind of power - no matter if they called it light, dark, or anywhere in between - that Magnus was wielding that day, and had he not been waiting for the best opportunity to strike Rumplestiltskin dead, the Dark One might have been impressed. Magic twisted through the air, sparking and crying out for release. The cleric had it pent up dangerously, ready to loose it on his enemy in a way that few sorcerers that claimed to use light magic would have been comfortable with. The clouds had turned dark overhead and a cold was seeping in like a storm.

Dark brown eyes focused in on milky white ones and quietly, Rumplestiltskin started weaving the spell he'd come to cast. Everything had to be set just right and couldn't be hurried, lest the whole thing fall down around him. There was a price to it, just as there was with any spell, but he was certain that he could make sure that Magnus paid it. He'd have to be clever. Very, very clever.

"This world's magic is born of light and it holds no place for someone like you . You've chosen the wrong place to oppose me, Dark One," Magnus rumbled, his voice amplified by the power he was pulling on. Rumplestiltskin hadn't been fool enough to think he would miss the core of Storybrooke's magic, but he'd hoped that he wouldn't be able to manipulate it quite so well. It left the dark sorcerer at more of a disadvantage than he would have liked, but not for long. He had always been good at finding the loopholes.

"I believe it's quite the other way around," Rumplestiltskin answered evenly, threads of magic weaving silently into place. "Three hundred years I lived as the Dark One in the Enchanted Forest and not once did you approach me. Why now? Because you believe me to be weak in this Land Without Magic?"

"And what is three hundred years to my lifespan?" the cleric countered.

That, strangely enough, caught Rumplestiltskin's attention. One of the reasons that he was considered one of the most powerful sorcerers in the Enchanted Forest was because of his age, and the knowledge that he'd gathered through those many, many years. He'd learned to do things that no mortal would have had the time in that life to do, but as he stood and watched Magnus, he wondered if perhaps he'd miscalculated just as all of those petty sorcerers that had come to his castle over the centuries had. They'd thought they could defeat the Dark One and create a name for themselves, but they'd been nothing next to his power. For the first time in over three centuries, Rumplestiltskin felt small.

Magnus must have sensed the brief flicker of doubt, because magic leapt outward, sharp and electrifying like lightning. Rumplestiltskin saw it and teleported, landing just a few feet away. The electricity hit the street where he'd been standing and jumped upward, sparking outward in brilliant colours and jumping at his family and those that he'd aligned himself with. At least Emma, Regina, and Maleficent seemed to be doing their jobs, as they were forming up a powerful shield, pulling the others under its protection. His family was safe and Rumplestiltskin could focus, and he needed all the focus he had to fight a the battle in front of him while weaving the trap in the background.

Dark magic leapt from his hands, pulled from the fury that was his curse. It bit and snapped, winding in and around Magnus' lighting and swept upward with it, climbing until a hidden trap within the spell kicked into play and swallowed the lightning up. The magics exploded overhead, but their casters were both leaping into action below, the shards of light and dark magic - or so onlookers would say - raining down around them. Rumplestiltskin ducked out of the way of another attack, his curse keeping his reflexes faster than any mortal's should have been. The two men dodged and attacked, parried and advanced, all the while neither landing a meaningful blow past the other's shields.

"You can't run forever, Dark One," Magnus growled, electricity erupting from his fingers and flying towards the younger man.

"I don't have to, dearie," Rumplestiltskin chuckled in return. "Just until I kill you." He flickered out of sight, back in, and then back out again. His movements were fast, landing him in different places each time. Even Magnus couldn't follow him exactly, and each time he fell a little further behind. Finally, the moment he'd waited for arrived and he found an opening, throwing out an attack at Magnus' back that worked its way through his shields rather than breaking them, and it brought a cry from the cleric as he stumbled forward.

Magnus spun on him when he regained his balance and roared in fury as he struck. He was faster this time, almost as if he'd predicted where Rumple would be next, and it was all the Dark One could do to toss a shield up between them. It held for a moment, but the electrical assault continued and Rumplestiltskin felt it cracking. He widened his stance, clever mind running his best options. Teleporting at this point would only bring the lightning in behind him, so he pulled in a breath, the cold morning air filling his lungs, and steeled himself. This wasn't going to be pleasant and his curse was going to _hate_ it, because, no matter how it was being used, Magnus was still pulling from the lighter end of magic.

The shield snapped and Rumplestiltskin took hold of the spell, his fingers physically burning from it as he shifted his weight around, using its own momentum to follow through and redirect it back at the cleric. It hit him square in the chest, sending him straight down on his backside. Rumplestiltskin's curse was indeed raging, but he ignored it as he held his head high, stepping forward and smirking at the shocked look that Magnus couldn't keep from his face. "I'm not like any other Dark One you've met, dearie. Time you learn that."

"You should be writhing on the ground."

"Perhaps your magic isn't as light as you think."

"I have been hunting Dark Ones for more years than you can fathom," Magnus snapped, landing on his feet and Rumplestiltskin thought the street might have shook a little under him.

"Still haven't ended the curse, obviously. I won't die to end it. I have far too much to live for."

"No, you have far too much to die for." Rumplestiltskin had never seen him teleport before, but he knew that the clerics could. It still hadn't been something that he had seen coming and it was the physical blow that the larger man dealt that threw him off balance. Magnus appeared directly in front of him, bare fist slamming into his middle hard enough to take his breath away, but before he could double over or fall to the ground, the cleric took hold of his expensive shirt collar and hauled him so that only his toes were touching the street. "You _are_ different, Dark One. I sensed that from the moment that you took on your curse. In many ways you're stronger than your predecessors. Your quick and clever, but once you get past that you have many weaknesses."

Magnus swung him around, Rumplestiltskin's body following without the ability to protest. He tried to teleport away, but something held him tightly in the cleric's grasp and he was tossed him clear across the street. He'd never known a mortal - though if Magnus was still mortal, it was hard to say - to have that kind of strength. He slammed into the hood of a car parked outside of the coffee shop directly across from his own pawn shop and toppled over, falling into the table on the sidewalk before finally crashing to the ground. He lay there for a moment, his very human body stunned by the blow, and could hear the heavy footsteps approaching and the power gathering around his enemy. He had to get up or he really would find out if he could die in this world.

Rumplestiltskin tried to get his hands under him to push upward, his left shoulder aching terrible as he did. Magic wrapped around it, strengthen it, but not before a shoe planted itself in the middle of his back and shoved him back down. "This world makes you weak, Dark One. This world makes you vulnerable."

The trapped man reached out, fingers scraping against the mostly smooth surface of the sidewalk as he struggled to get out from beneath his would-be murderer. A soft huff escaped him as Magnus knelt, his knee digging into the middle of his back and pushing him down hard against the unyielding ground. "You killed Soren and Silas. You killed Caiden and the others."

"I hate to break it to you, dearie, but that's a risk you take when you send someone to kill me," Rumplestiltskin managed and pushed outward with his magic. What might have otherwise just knocked him back turned to daggers in the air, slicing through defences of the startled cleric that just kept underestimating him and left streaks of blood in their path. The younger sorcerer pulled himself to his feet, pushing aside the aches and pains of the battle and met the milky gaze. "But you're welcome to join them."

Magics clashed again and sparked upward and all around. Glass windows in the surrounding shops and cars shattered with the pressure built by it and a small explosion forced both men back, Rumplestiltskin pushed back towards his family while Magnus skidded to a stop a few yards down the way. Dark eyes risked a glance behind him and he saw the focused faces of the three sorceresses whose job it was to keep the others safe. Charming looked ready for whatever fight might come through, as did Regina's outlaw, but Bae and Belle's gazes were the ones that he lingered on and he felt a smile touch his lips. "I am different here," he told Magnus firmly as he turned to face him. "I'm stronger than anything you've ever come across." It was time, and it took the knowledge that his son's and his love's lives depended on it to give him the strength to go through with it.

The Kris Dagger flickered into his hand as the final strings that could be brought together without it did and his gaze fell on Magnus whose sightless eyes were fixated on the knife. "You cannot begin to comprehend my burden of these years," the cleric said. "Today it ends."

"How far would you go?" Rumplestiltskin asked and he felt as if he were using his own soul as bait. In a way he was. "What are you willing to give to end this?"

"Anything," Magnus breathed and the Dark One smiled.

"I do love it when they say that," he chuckled and the final string fell into place, pulling the others taught and Magnus froze, eyes wide in surprise.

"What have you done?" he demanded, the air around them both cracking with power, though he couldn't break free.

"It's what you've done, dearie. Without your consent, I couldn't reach the last thread, but now this ends."

Rumplestiltskin tugged hard on the spell and the cleric that had tried to kill him and his family screamed, the howls echoing through the streets of Storybrooke as he bucked and convulsed against it, but it didn't loosen and he couldn't free himself. Piece by piece it stripped his magic.

"Rumple!"

He turned, finding Belle and Bae rushing towards him even as the storm overhead grew darker. "What are you doing? Get out of here!"

"Not without you!" his wife argued, taking hold of his arm.

"I have to see it through to the end." He didn't know if the elder sorcerer could break free, but he wouldn't put it past him. "Please go."

"We're not leaving you, Papa," Baelfire yelled over the screams of both the cleric and the wind that was whipping around them.

He came to Rumplestiltskin's other side and they stood watching as Magnus was lifted into the air by the spell. He might be fighting it now, but he'd given the word. He was willing to do anything to end this, he just had been fool enough not to specify what _this_ was. For Rumplestiltskin - and therefore for the spell that he'd worked into play - _this_ was the chaos that Magnus and his clerics had rained down on Storybrooke and his family. _This_ was the pain he'd caused them, and _this_ was the endless quest to destroy the Dark One's Curse even if it took the curse's host down with it. _This_ ended today.

Magnus' screams fell silent all at once and he went limp, held up only by the threads of the spell, and it ripped his magic from him. Centuries worth of power exploded outward, throwing everyone on the street to the ground as it shot outward.

* * *

><p>To be concluded.<p>

Notes: Well that was a wild ride. Next up, the conclusion! If all goes well that should be up on Friday.

The following week I plan to post a short called 'Just Another Fairytale' which finds Rumple at the very beginning of his curse. It will be a two-parter. The following week will be a two-part prelude to the next full length story (the two-parter is called Burning the Embers and the full length will be Burn the Worlds). Burn the Worlds, as well as it's two-part prequel, will feature Magnus as the main villain, but in a different AU than this one.

Hey, look at that, I have a plan! See you guys Friday! :D


	19. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

The gust of magic slammed into the three closest to the point of origin before dissipating into the air. Belle, Rumplestiltskin, and Bae hit the ground hard, all three slamming down against the asphalt of the half-destroyed street in front of the pawn shop. It took a moment for the world around her to stop spinning, but as soon as Belle was able to sit up she did and looked straight over to her husband who was still flat on his back and staring up at the sky with wide brown eyes. Fear crept in and his name left his lips as she shook him, pulling a strangled cry out as her fingers latched onto the torn sleeve of his jacket. "Rumple?"

"I'm fine," he managed, jaw clamped tight, and his right hand came up to his left shoulder as he sat up. Well, except for that, of course, but getting him to admit an injury was difficult on a good day and this one had been rather trying even in the morning hours of it.

He was covered in small cuts and scrapes, his expensive clothing torn, and his eyes were a little unfocused, but for the most part he looked like he was telling the truth. She glanced past him to see Bae was also sitting up, hand reached around to the back of his head where he'd hit the ground. Rumple looked over to his son, murmuring softly as if he'd been the one fighting the battle against the crazed lead cleric that had tried to destroy everything that they loved, and Belle frowned as she found herself looking at his back.

"I'm fine, Papa," Bae said for the third time and Belle shook her head as she reached out to him, her touch much gentler this time, and offered him a smile.

"I love you," she said simply and some of the tenseness in him seemed to ease.

"And I love you." Rumplestiltskin stood slowly, offering a hand to help her up just as the others were approaching them. She took it and looked back, seeing everyone on their feet again. Hook looked a little woozy from the blow he'd taken earlier, but he was upright for the time being and very cross looking.

"Well, Rumple?" Maleficent asked, eyeing the barely stirring Magnus. "Are you going to finish it or do one of us get the pleasure? His little brats did destroy my shop, but I _suppose_ I'll understand if you want the final blow. He's been after your life, afterall."

Regina snorted. "This man dragged his son up from the Dark One's Vault and used his blood to torture him and my son through a nightmare spell and then brought it into reality. Yes, I think Rumple gets first option here."

Rumpelstiltskin blinked at his former student. "Done playing hero then?"

"I doubt you'll even get an argument from this one," she groused, motioning to where David stood with his daughter.

Belle turned back to look at her husband who was looking at Magnus. The cleric had managed to pull himself into a sitting position, but was now reaching around him as if trying to gain his bearings. His eyes, always sightless but always on them, now remained entirely unfocused and gazed at nothing. "So," he rasped, "are you going to kill me, Dark One?"

"No."

"_What_?" While the word had left most every person that stood waiting, Maleficent's was the loudest. "Why the hell not?"

A slow, calculating smile crossed Rumplestiltskin's face. "Because while he knows nothing about me, I know quite a bit about him now, and living without his magic is worse than death, isn't it Magnus?"

The cleric snarled from his place, making it to his knees before he pitched forward to the street. "Just kill me, Dark One. You've won."

"Yes, I have, and in winning, I choose the most fitting end to you. You're nothing now. Just an old blind man, and I may be a lot of things, but I don't pick on the weak." He turned to Emma. "Do what you want with him, Sheriff. My personal preference would be to toss him across the townline and see what happens to him, but that's just me."

"What about his cohorts?" Robin asked, eyes scanning the seemingly empty street.

"We'll keep an eye out for them, and any of these guys that survived are going to find themselves in the same boat as their leader, I think," David answered.

"Then it's over?" Belle breathed.

Her husband turned to her and offered a smile. "Yes, I believe it is."

"You guys did it!" a voice called from down the street and they turned, seeing Henry barreling down with Ruby not far behind. "You beat him! I knew you would!"

Bae caught him up, somehow managing to fully pick the thirteen year old up and swing him around. "Was there ever any doubt?"

"No," his son answered with a smile that was all his grandfather's. He let go of Bae and wrapped his arms around Rumple, the nearest family member to him. Emma and Regina were quick to join and Belle couldn't help but giggle a little at her husband's long-suffering expression as it quickly became a family group-hug with Henry leading the way.

* * *

><p>The next few days were a flurry of what the Charmings decided needed to happen before the kicked Magnus across the townline, and of course Rumplestiltskin needed to be there for the whole damn thing. They didn't seem to understand that he didn't care what they did with him as long as he was appropriately dealt with and he never had to lay eyes on the lunatic cleric ever again, but that's not how they worked. Ever. There were meetings about meetings before what might have been a hearing and a final decision over what his fate would be. Only a handful of his followers had survived the encounter and it was decided that they too would join Magnus in his exile, though Rumplestiltskin heard that piece of information second hand from his son as they sat at Granny's one evening having a dinner just for the two of them.<p>

"We really don't even know what will happen to them, I guess," Bae said before taking a long sip of his beer. "I mean, no one was able to get over the townlines before when Zelena was here because the monkeys got them, right?"

"As far as I am aware, though I was a bit preoccupied during much of that whole fiasco," his father answered with a small smile playing on his lips.

Bae looked a little sheepish. "Guess we both were. Do you know what it'll do?"

"Likely it will wipe their memories. From what I've been able to tell around here the people that came through on the second round of the curse were provided with enough information to function. Perhaps not new identities, but the curse granted them lodgings, clothes, and general information about modern society, from what I can tell. Zelena was certainly aware of all the perks of the era." He sighed and shrugged, his shoulder no longer twinging from the number Magnus had done to it.

"So what happens when there's no persona to replace their actual memories?"

"I'd expect a clean slate, much like what Regina did to Belle when she brought her to this world. Magnus and his little followers will wander around until someone finds them and takes them in. The police will investigate it, but they'll hit a dead end because there's nothing to find. To the outside world that isn't looking for Storybrooke specifically, we do not exist."

"Tamara found it just fine when she came."

"Yes, well, you told her what to look for, didn't you? It's a very subtle spell that shifts the town just out of sync with their realty. They can't quite perceive us unless they know what they're looking for. Her cohort was the same way. He knew where to look, therefore he found us."

"That's… really cool. If I ever said that magic wasn't cool, I was wrong."

Rumplestiltskin found himself chuckling, marveling at the fact that they were sitting at Granny's Diner without so much as an interruption. They'd had lunch and talked as if they hadn't just been fighting for their lives, and as if Rumplestiltskin hadn't died and then Bae died to bring him back. Their lives were truly bizarre, and if someone had asked a spinner in the Frontlands over three hundred years before if he thought any of this was possible, he would have said they were mad. Utterly mad.

Perhaps he was.

Bae took another long swig of his drink and when he set it down, his voice was unsure. "I need to talk to you about something, Papa, and I don't want you to take it wrong or freak out."

"That's never a good sign," his father managed, wishing that he'd ordered something to take his mind off whatever was about to be discussed as well.

"Don't be like that. It's not as bad as it sounds." He took another sip. "You and Belle have been… great to let me stay with you-"

"Bae, we're happy to have you there."

"I know, and it's great to be so close, but you guys are still newlyweds. I mean, seriously, how much time have you guys taken for that?" His smile stretched as Rumplestiltskin's lips tipped downward. "Emma and I have been talking and we think it'd be good for Henry if we got a place for the three of us."

Rumplestiltskin blinked. "That's it?" he managed.

"Yeah…. Were you expecting something worse? Wait. Don't answer that. Of course you were."

His papa snorted, shaking his head. He'd thought it could have been anything between dredging up something terrible from their past or leaving Storybrooke forever. "As long as you're not leaving town," he managed and that pulled a laugh from his son.

"No, Storybrooke's got a certain charm, you know? And it's close to family. That's a must."

His smile warmed his father's scarred heart. "Where are you looking?"

"Not sure yet. I do hear that there aren't a great many renting options here and that the guy who rents most of the apartments is a real hardass. Not sure he'll rent to us."

"I might have a few options," Rumplestiltskin answered with a small smile, doing well to ignore the tease. Henry had told him enough of where he and Emma had been looking that he had a couple of properties in mind already. "I'd be happy to help you find a place for your family, Bae."

"Thank you, Papa." He grinned widely and in that smile he saw his child all grown up. He saw a wish that he'd made so many, many years before fulfilled. It was one that he had made as as he struggled to find a way to reach his boy, and now, for the first time since Rumplestiltskin had taken on the Dark One's Curse, he felt at peace.

* * *

><p>"How was lunch with Bae?" Belle's voice drifted in from the back office. He'd expected her to be at the library, but a surprise visit from his wife was never something that Rumplestiltskin would deny.<p>

"It went well. I do fear that our home will become a bit quieter shortly though."

Belle poked her head through the curtains, blue eyes wide and questioning. "Bae's moving out?"

"And in with Emma."

Her expression lightened considerably and she smiled. "Really? That's good news!"

"Mm. I'll miss having him around, but I fear he won't get rid of me quite so easily. I have a couple of open apartments that would fit them nicely and he's going to take Emma to go look."

"True Love wins out," his wife said happily, crossing the showroom and wrapping her arms around his neck. She tipped up on her toes to press a kiss to his lips, and Rumplestiltskin felt a pulse rush through him.

When the finally broke and was certain he was grinning like a fool. "What was that for?"

Belle pulled in a deep breath and continued grinning, her hand coming to the side of his face and he leaned into her touch. "I'm just happy. It's the first moment we've really had to breathe since we came back to Storybrooke. You're here, Baelfire's here, and everyone's safe."

"Well you've jinxed us now," he teased and she gave him a light shove and rolled her eyes.

"Stop it. I'm serious. This is a happy moment, even if Bae is moving out, it's for a good reason. He and Emma are together, Henry has his _whole_ family, and you proved to the entire town you're more than the monster they've seen you as for so long."

Rumplestiltskin tilted his head in question. "What do you mean by that?"

"With Magnus. You could have killed him, but you chose to let him go."

"Now, my dear, don't get ahead of yourself. You know me. I didn't let him go out of the goodness of my heart. He really will suffer."

Belle rolled her eyes again. "I know," she said, though it hardly sounded as if she did. "You never do anything without a reason, even if it's one that you won't even tell your wife. I'm good with secrets, you know."

Thin lips stretched into a smile. "Are you now?"

"Very good. Please, Rumple?"

He laughed at her then and leaned forward to kiss her forehead. "I do love you. Yes, I have ulterior reasons for letting Magnus go, though knowing that he'll suffer without his magic is an added bonus." He waited and Belle looked ready to burst. A calm washed over him and as entertaining as her reaction was he knew she deserved to know the truth. No more secrets, they'd promised, and he meant to stand by it. "No matter the reason, Magnus brought my son back to me. I can't forget that, and while I can't forgive what followed after, killing him would have left me with a debt that I could never repay."

Belle's smile slowly faded as the words seemed to soak into her. "You felt like you owed him something?"

"I ask for payment for my services, Belle, but in the same way I always pay what I owe."

"I know you do," his wife whispered and her clever mind seemed to be turning it over.

He sighed, his hands going to her shoulders and he tried for a smile he knew he didn't quite reach. "I know that's likely not what you wished to hear. I'm not a good man, but you knew that already."

The smile returned and she leaned up to kiss the tip of his nose. "You're a better man than you'll ever know," she told him firmly. "And I love you for it."

* * *

><p>"I don't like surprises," Emma groused and Bae tried not to roll his eyes too badly. He didn't need to, their son did it for him. They'd come together with his papa to look at the open apartments that he had near the ocean. Henry had told him that she wanted something with a view and when they'd walked into this apartment they'd both known it was right.<p>

"You'll like this one, Mom," Henry promised.

"I really don't like it when you two double team me."

"Patience," Bae chuckled. "Three steps here. Don't trip."

"If you'd let me look to see where I was going-"

Henry nearly jumped her. "No don't!"

"I'm not looking, kid!" she protested. "Just-" She tripped on the last step, nearly flattening herself against the steps had Bae not caught her. Instead he pulled her up.

"About five steps forward. Henry, get the door."

"Okay, Dad," Henry answered immediately and rushed forward. He slipped the key into the lock and pushed it open so that Bae could lead Emma inside.

She was being very cooperative for all her grumbling and he stopped her in the middle currently unfurnished living room and turned her so that she would face the three large, bay windows looking out over the ocean. "Okay," he whispered into her ear. "Now."

Emma blinked her eyes open and looked straight ahead. Bae didn't dare breathe as he and Henry waited for the verdict and the blonde kept her silence. Her eyes, predictably, went to the windows first, then to the wooden floors, the vaulted ceilings, and all the perks that came with the apartment that was really a three bedroom duplex set right off the beach. "I hate to tell you this, Neal, but a sheriff's salary isn't going to cover something like this."

"Grandpa Gold is the landlord," Henry said as if that explained it all. "He said-"

"Henry, your grandpa doesn't doesn't just give things away, and even if he did, we're not going to take advantage of him like that," Emma said firmly.

"That's exactly what I told him," Bae offered, "and then he shrugged and walked off. We've got the place, if we want it or not, so if you like it…" He stopped, watching her carefully. "Unless you're second guessing us moving in to the same place?"

"It's a really nice place," she mused, still looking. "Are you _sure_ your dad's cool with us being here?"

"Who else is he going to rent to? It's been sitting vacant for thirty years," Henry pointed out.

"I guess it has."

Their son beamed. "Cool! I'll show you the room that I picked out!" He took her by the hand and dragged her down the hallway.

Bae followed at a slower pace, stopping at the master bedroom room that was off to the left. He looked at it and in that moment he thought he could see everything laid out just right. They'd talked about Tallahassee, about settling down and doing whatever came along with that after, but he realized that he'd never known quite what that brought with it. A family, a home, and roots. Those were all things that he'd run from for so long, but now Balefire knew he needed them more than ever, and in Storybrooke, he finally had it.

"Guess this is our room, huh?" Emma said from behind and she came to stand as much beside him as the doorframe would allow.

"If you want it to be."

"Well, I'm not taking that other room. It's tiny."

He snorted a laugh and turned to her. "You really want this?"

"Do you?"

"I want to be with you and Henry, however that plays out. I need my family, Emma. I've been away too long."

She smiled at him and he'd forgotten just how much he missed that. She'd hurt so much in the years since he met her and she'd bottled it all away and hidden it behind so many walls. Maybe, finally, a few of those could start coming down again. It would take time, but all things worth fighting for did.

"I've been looking for my family my whole life, so I'm certainly not going anywhere."

"Me neither," Bae agreed.

"Well," she murmured softly, wrapping her arms around his middle and tipping up just enough to meet him halfway in a kiss. "I guess that makes Storybrooke our Tallahassee, doesn't it?"

He grinned, picking her up, kissing her even as he spun her around in their new room. She laughed and held on, the sound more free than it had been in some time. Neither of them had ever thought that they'd find the family that they'd lost, but here, miles and miles away from the city of Tallahassee, Bae and Emma had found home.

* * *

><p>End.<p>

Notes:

Well, I'm sorry to see this one end, but I'm already started on the next full-length story. I've mentioned it before I think. Halfway through this one, when Caiden and Blue are having the conversation that Bae overhears, they talk about the clerics' missed opportunity to come through on the first curse and that line managed to turn into a plot bunny that just wouldn't let loose of my ankle. Burn the Worlds (the next full length) takes place about the time that Neal and Emma are running around together and places Magnus and his clerics (with memories intact) into Storybrooke. Lots of SwanFire, lots of Rumbelle down the way, and some very confused Mr Gold at the beginning :)

Next week, though, if all goes to plan, I will be posting two shorts: Just Another Fairytale and Burning the Embers. Just Another Fairytale is not connected to the new full length, but it does take place right after Rumple takes on the Dark One's Curse and handles some points between he and Bae.

Burning the Embers is a prequel to Burn the Worlds. Hope to see you guys there! It's been a great run with Where Nightmares and Darkness Meet! Thank you for all of your lovely reviews and conversations over PM :)

TS


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